


rising royals

by jilyss



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Arranged Marriage, Arranged Marriage, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, King James - Freeform, Revolution AU, Slow Burn, also this a rewrite of my old fic, angsty, badass lily, nothing too graphic but be aware (especially in the later chapters!), so be aware if there are similar parts lol, tw:blood, tw:death, warning!!! there is violence and blood
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-16
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-10 02:29:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 55,536
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27586121
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jilyss/pseuds/jilyss
Summary: Lily Evans, a fierce revolutionary leader, meets James Potter, the naive new King, determined to fix her country for the better.arranged marriage au and revolution au
Relationships: James Potter/Lily Evans Potter
Comments: 26
Kudos: 79





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I originally wrote this story in 2017, published it in 2018, and then realized a few months ago that my writing has (hopefully) improved a ton since, so I decided to completely rewrite it. It's still not super long, but I think I improved the storyline a ton and is now meant to be a shorter read. Hope you enjoy!!

Lily set her notes on the table, fighting hard to keep an even tone. “He hasn’t done a single productive thing since he became king. The council has been as apathetic as ever, and the death eaters have gotten bolder.” She folded her arms and stared Dumbledore down. “We don’t have the resources to fight them off forever.”

Dumbledore adjusted his glasses and peered over the rims at Lily. “And you think a massive revolution will just magically fix everything?”

Lily shrugged, kicking a chair away from the table, and sat down heavily. “I’m not saying an all-out war but… You’ve been fighting this fight for _years_. The death eaters have money, people with power in the government, and fear on their side. The Order is losing people every day because they’re breathing down everyone’s necks! I… I don’t think we can last much longer.”

“We’ve always pulled through.”

“We’ve gotten lucky,” Lily says bitterly. “I don’t think our luck will hold much longer.”

There was a knock at the door, and Frank Longbottom, one of the leading Order members, entered the room. “Sorry I’m late. You wanted to talk to me?”

Dumbledore gestured to one of the chairs. “Ms. Evans believes that we need an uprising - a revolution, as she once called it, to fix our current situation.”

Frank glared at Lily. “You said you wouldn’t say anything about this.”

“You agree with her?” Dumbledore asked, shifting in his chair. 

“No.”

Lily groaned. 

“Look, Lily, we haven’t even given this new guy a real chance yet. He didn’t think he was going to be king for a few more years, he’s probably just still settling in,” Frank said. “Besides, I think there is absolutely no way we could win, so doing what we can here is our best option.”

“It’s been three months. If he wanted any change in this England, he would have started by now.” 

“Have you even talked to the new guy? He’s only twenty-one, and -”

“I’m twenty-one and look at what I’ve been doing,” Lily interrupted. “How do we know he’s not a death eater himself? We thought his dad might have had ties to death eaters.”

“We don’t know that he is either.” Frank paused, folding his arms.”We need to try to talk with him.” He turned to Dumbledore, who was still watching them intently over his glasses. “Lily and I can request an audience. Lily has enough street cred that she can probably get us through the door.”

“ _If_ I go, I’m going alone. If he is a death eater, we only want one of us to get caught. It wouldn’t be hard to figure out who we are.” Frank looked like he wanted to argue, but she had a point.

“What would I even ask him? Hi, I’m Lily Evans, I’ve been creating riots in your country for the past year, but I would love it if we could just forget about that for a second.” Lily stood up and started pacing around the tiny room. “Doesn’t seem like a good option to me.” Dumbledore cleared his throat. “The best angle to play would be the public and royalty working together. You haven’t been making life easy for them lately, and I’m sure you could bargain with him. You offer to end the riots if he starts making serious changes.”

Lily sat back, weighing her options. Best case scenario, the new king would be receptive to her ideas and be willing to make changes in the government. In her opinion, that was highly unlikely. Every nobleman she had ever met had been snobby, arrogant, and disinterested in the lower classes. On the other hand, there were two worst-case scenarios. The king was a death eater, therefore knew she was a member of the Order and hung her on the spot. The other worst-case scenario was that he considered her a traitor and hung her on the spot. She was not looking forward to either worst-case scenario. 

“Alright, I’ll do it,” She said slowly. “I’ll meet with him, but I’m not throwing out the idea of a revolt yet.”

Dumbledore nodded. “That’s fine. We’ll take this one step at a time.”

Lily nodded curtly, and left the tiny meeting room, walked down the stairs, and out of the inn.

Early the next morning, Lily woke up to the slam of the front door. Her friend, Alice Griffiths, was just getting home from a long shift at the inn. The inn doubled as the headquarters for the inn, and Alice worked as a barista and a guard. 

Exhausted, the girl collapsed on the bed. “How was the shift?” Lily mumbled from the floor, pulling the blanket tightly around her shoulders. 

Alice’s head shot up. “Lily! I thought you weren’t staying the night. And I told you, you can take the bed.”

Lily sat up, rubbing one hand over her eyes. “Change of plans. I’m going to meet King James today. I would go back to my place, but it was too far to walk.”

“You’re going to meet King James?” Alice gasped. “ _The_ King James? You can’t be serious.”

“You can thank your boyfriend for that,” Lily half-smiled, still waking up. “It was his idea.”

Alice smiled. “Frank’s an idiot most of the time, you shouldn’t listen to him.”

“Ha.” Lily paused. “This might work.”

“Yeah, but you’re practically turning yourself in. Potter can’t be too happy with you. You’re famous for creating chaos. He’ll probably hang you.”

“Thanks, Alice.”

Alice put her face in the pillow. “No problem. Don’t die.”

“I won’t,” Lily promised, standing up and brushing off her pants. 

Alice turned to glare at her. “I’m serious.”

Lily picked up her blanket and draped it over Alice. “I am too. I’m going to drop by the inn for a bit, then I’m heading over. I’ll see you tonight.” 

“G’night.” Alice murmured, already drifting off to sleep. 

A few minutes later, Lily was out the door, chewing on a piece of stale bread she had hidden the last time she had slept at Alice’s. After stopping at the inn to discuss the final plans with Dumbledore, she began the long walk to the palace. 

A river flowed in the middle of the city. On one side, the palace cast a shadow large enough to block parts of the other side. On the palace side, noblemen and wealthy merchants had elegant houses and extravagant yards. The other side was the exact opposite. On the other side, everyone else lived in tiny houses, worked in sweatshops, and died from the filth. Every morning, hundreds of people would walk to the extravagant side to care for the rich, and at the end of the day, make the long, depressing walk back.

Lily hated it. It was hard not to be filled with jealousy as she left the filth and walked to the side with freshly manicured lawns, opulent houses, and ladies covered in frills and feathers. She hadn’t dressed up for the king, deciding that doing so would make him less sympathetic to her cause. Instead, she was wearing her standard work clothes - a leather jacket, thick black pants, and a pair of sturdy boots.

When she got to the front gates, Lily stood tall before the guards, heart beating out of her chest. “I’m here to see the King.”

One of them eyed her suspiciously. “Name?”

“Lily Evans.” 

The guard’s eyebrow raised. “Is he expecting you?”

“Yes.” He wasn’t, but the guards didn’t need to know that. She doubted they knew his schedule.

A few minutes later, Lily had been searched for weapons, placed in handcuffs, and was standing in what she was guessing was the king’s study. She had tried to argue against the handcuffs since there were still six guards surrounding her, but they hadn’t even listened to her. Apparently being well known in the city as a critique of the government made her dangerous. 

It was a large study, filled with bookshelves and a large desk. The desk was covered with books, maps, papers, and a tray of uneaten dinner. Before she had a chance to try to read any of the papers, a group of men entered the room, and the guards bowed deeply. Lily didn’t move, and the guards gripped her arms tightly. 

One of the men sat behind the desk while the other three men stood by the side, all watching Lily carefully. 

“You can just leave her,” the curly-haired man sitting behind the desk said. 

“Your majesty, I’m not sure that’s wise -”

The man waved the guards off. “Matthew, I promise I’m fine. That will be all.” The guards bowed again and left the room. 

Now that she was standing directly across from him, Lily studied King James, waiting for him to say something. He was only a half a foot taller than her but was fairly well built, with a sharp jawline dotted with wisps of stubble. He had unkempt curly dark hair, and there were clear bags under his eyes. 

“So you’re Lily Evans.” He gestured to a chair behind her. Lily didn’t move, and he let an amused smile cross his face as she stared him down. He was dressed in a suit, but the tie was loosened around his neck, and it looked like he had slept in it. And although she knew they were the same age, he was younger than she had expected. Lily had seen his father a few times, but he had aged rather quickly under the pressures of the job and she had assumed the new King would look similar.

“King James.”

“You’ve caused quite a commotion.”

“Where have you been for the last three months?”

His smile slowly disappeared, and she could see tiredness etched onto his face. “It’s only been two months since I’ve been sworn in, and we are doing our best.” His eyes flickered to the other men standing near him, uneasy.

“You’re not even trying,” Lily said bluntly. His leg began bouncing up and down, but his face showed no hint of emotion. “If you were trying, you would have done something by now. Instead, you’re hiding in here, avoiding the people that need you.”

He opened his mouth to speak, but she continued, fingers clenched tightly behind her. “I’m not here to step down, your highness,” she paused to make sure he understood. “I speak for the people, _your_ people.”

“And you’re losing control of them.”

Lily cocked her head, not sure if she was understanding. “Excuse me?”

“You’re losing control, Evans. I’ve seen you try to stop the riots, but they aren’t listening to you anymore. They’re getting out of hand, and you’re desperate to get your power back.” He gripped the chair hard, and Lily could see that his knuckles were white. His eyes were dark and angry, drilling into her. 

“You’re wrong. I don’t want power.” Her voice had a quiet, threatening edge.

“Then what do you want?”

“Reasonable taxes. Child labor laws. Honest police. Elections.” She hesitated for a brief moment. “A chance for citizens to have their voices heard. People are tired with the way things are, and that’s being reflected in the riots.”

He stood up and began pacing back and forth, his eyes never leaving hers. “And what would you do, if you were me?” Potter ran a hand briefly over his face before adding, “No one will just give up their power or money, and it’s not like the current council will do anything anytime soon.”

“James -” one of the men on the side stepped forward, voice full of warning, but James waved him off. 

“It’s not complicated, just do anything!” Lily raised her voice, becoming angrier by the minute.

“I don’t think you understand the situation, Evans,” he growled, leaning over his desk.

“Have you ever been outside these walls? Do you even know the problems we face daily? I don’t think _you_ understand the situation.” She took a hesitant step back, unsure how the king was going to respond to her accusatory tone. 

A guard poked his head in the room. “Everything alright, your majesty?”

“Yes, thank you, Matthew.” Potter’s eyes didn’t leave Lily until the guard left the room. When the door shut, he turned to the three other men. “Do you trust her?”

She squared her shoulders, glaring first at Potter, then at the other three. One of them collapsed on a couch while the other two remained standing. The man on the couch spoke first. “You aren’t a death eater, right?”

“No,” Lily said emphatically. She hesitated, more words on the tip of her tongue, but realized it was her best chance at winning their trust. “I’m with the Order.”

“The Order?” Potter said. He ran a hand over his jaw, leaning back in his chair. “We thought that was just a rumor.”

Lily shook her head. “It’s small and underground, but we fight against the death eaters.”

“If you’re underground, then why are you so vocal? You’ve been leading riots against us for months, and you’re well known throughout the city.” The speaker was one of the two standing. He had brown hair and dressed in a shabby dark blue suit. 

She shrugged. “I can do both and keep them separate. Since I’m well-known, I get into more meetings, meet more people, and I can spread my agenda.”

“And what is your agenda?” 

“Take down the death eaters, and fix the government. The Order focuses on the death eaters, others focus on fixing the government. I combine the two.”

There was a long pause. Potter looked over at the men, and something seemed to pass between them. Potter turned back to Lily, speaking in a low, urgent tone and glancing at his office door. “The council is wrapped around Lord Riddle’s finger. I’m guessing you know he’s a death eater?” 

Lily nodded, but then frowned. “Wait - does he openly talk about it?”

The man with the blue suit spoke. “No. We have reliable information on him, but no evidence. He doesn’t really try to hide it anyway. He supports the same things they do, and is equally as violent.”

“Anyway, we - I strongly suspect Riddle is threatening the majority of the council members with something. They follow his agenda now, and no new legislation will go through. Right now, we aren’t sure why he doesn’t want any new laws, but we know he’s preparing for something.” James sighed. “Despite what you might think, I don’t actually have the power to just create a new law, as much as I want to.”

“So start replacing council members.” 

He shook his head slowly. “I don’t have the power to. You’re supposed to wait until someone passes away - ”

“The law doesn’t _specifically_ say you have to wait - it’s just never been done. Potter - you’re the _King_. Who do the guards take orders from?”

His jaw tightened, and he grunted. “It’s _King_ James.”

Lily ignored him, a smile slowly forming on her face. Maybe she hadbeen wrong - he was willing to listen to their complaints, even if he was a jerk about it. “Fire one of the council members. One of the less important ones, someone who is dead weight so you don’t raise suspicion. And if anyone says you can’t, use the guards to your advantage - legally, you’re allowed to. Throw them out in the street, throw them in jail for refusal to comply - but make a statement. Show your authority.”

He glared at her, running a hand through his hair. “I can do it myself. Your leadership hasn’t proven to be all that effective.”

She shot him a sour look. He had a point, but it wasn’t like she hadn’t been more successful than him. “Not like yours has been any better. At least I have the people’s support.”

James’ fists tightened and then he relaxed, with yet another smirk. “And I have England’s army at my command.” He stood up. 

“If we work together, we can have both,” Lily pointed out. “I’m willing to help.”

“No more riots,” James said firmly. 

“Get rid of a council member.”

“Deal.” 

Lily almost moved to shake his hand but realized she was still stuck in her handcuffs. “Deal.”

James nodded curtly, glancing back at the three men. He looked back at her, and called for the guards to return and take her away. They came in swiftly, surrounding her and hustling her out of the room. A few minutes later, she was back in the hot sun, rubbing where the handcuffs had cut into her skin. The new king was arrogant and stubborn, but he had trusted her and was willing to help. That was much more than she had expected, and she returned to other side of the city with more hope than before. 

Two days later, Lily was working at the shift at the inn when a familiar woman walked through the door. She was one of the maids Lily knew who worked inside the palace and occasionally fed the Order information in exchange for a free meal. She sat down at the bar and ordered a drink. She didn’t seem worried about people hearing her information, so when Lily handed her her drink, she started talking. 

“King James removed Carrow last night - you know, one of the council members?”

Lily had to fight back a smile. “Removed? As in he’s no longer a council member?”

She nodded, taking a long drink. “I bet the news will break soon, but I figured you would want to hear sooner than later. People are pretty surprised.”

Lily gestured for the cook in the back to bring her a plate of food, held up a quick finger, and moved to help another customer who just sat down. When she returned with her dinner plate, she asked the question that was most heavily on her mind. “What are people saying in the palace?”

The woman grabbed a fork and tucked in. “Most servants didn’t like him, he didn’t treat anyone very good, ya know? They are glad he’s gone.”

That wasn’t what Lily had meant, but the woman seemed intent on eating before sharing any information. She moved off to help another customer and returned in a minute. The woman was more ready to speak now, with half her food eaten. “No one is really sure what most of the other council members think, but Cindy, one of Riddle’s maids at his manor -” she dropped her voice to a whisper, and Lily leaned in close. “- said he seemed especially angry today. Apparently, he’s going to fight King James on this, but Cindy don’t understand the laws or the writing or nothing, so that’s all I know.”

Lily tapped her fingers on the counter, slightly frustrated that she didn’t know anymore, but she was relying on servant gossip, and she couldn’t expect much more. She filled up the woman’s drink once more and moved back to the kitchen to pass on the information. 

Later that night, Dumbledore stopped by the inn, and Lily quickly relayed the information. He was pleased but more cautious than anything else. “Remember, Ms. Evans, if we move too fast, it’s going to backfire. If he gets rid of too many, I am worried people will get anxious. No one knows him. He’s rarely seen outside of the palace, and they’ll worry that he’s creating a dictatorship.” 

Dumbledore leaned back in his chair, once again peering over his glasses at Lily. “And we need to make sure he’s replacing them with the right people. We can start drawing up a list.”

A week later, Potter released two more council members, and Lily had multiple friends report to her that people were starting to get anxious. She was annoyed more than anything, mainly because she thought he would have been smarter than that - and if Potter himself wasn’t smart enough, she would have thought his friends were. Dumbledore had passed her a message through Alice asking her to visit King James at the palace again to check in with him and remind him of the consequences of moving too fast.

Once again, the guards handcuffed her, but this time, left her alone in the study with two guards at the door. It was a few minutes before Potter returned. He was reading a piece of paper and eating a sandwich when he walked in. 

When he saw her there, he groaned. “What do you want, Evans?”

“You were too bold. People are getting -” He held up a finger and she stopped abruptly. Walking to the door, he talked to the guards briefly before walking back inside. He stuffed the rest of his sandwich in his mouth and quickly undid her handcuffs, tossing the key haphazardly on his messy desk.

“Don’t try to kill me, yeah? I want Remus and Sirius to hear this, so whatever you have to say can wait.”

Lily rolled her eyes and sat down on a chair across from the desk. “Why don’t you clean your desk?” 

He surveyed the mess in front of him, one hand running through his hair. “I know where everything is. It’s fine.”

Lily opened her mouth to retort, but two of the men she recognized from her last visit walked in. “This is Sirius, my advisor and brother, and this is Remus, lawyer and advisor. Peter is out of town at the moment.” 

Lily nodded quickly at each of them. Sirius was the tall and lanky one, with extremely wild hair, and was dressed in black pants and leather jacket, and had immediately collapsed onto a couch in the corner. Remus was wearing a suit again, although this one seemed to fit him much better. 

Lily didn’t hesitate to launch in. “Potter, you were too bold. I don’t know how it went down, but cutting three people from your council in one week was too much. People are worried you’re going to become a dictator.” 

Remus spun on his heel to glare at James. “I told you it was too much.” “I didn’t really have a choice!” James turned to Lily. “After I got rid of Alecto Carrow, who is so old he can’t even remember the date, two of them, Karkaroff and Amycus Carrow started threatening this and that. Nothing crazy, but they were definitely not happy. So I got rid of them.”

Lily groaned. “And that’s exactly why people are going to think you’re a dictator. You can’t just fire everyone!”

“How is that any different than when I put in my hand-picked council members? Isn’t that a dictatorship too?” James argued. 

Lily bit her lip - he had a point. “Do you know who you’re replacing them with yet? The sooner we fill the spots the better. And we need to make sure we have a diversity of opinions.”

“Not yet,” Remus said. “We have a few names, but we’d welcome any suggestions.”

“No, we wouldn’t,” James said sharply. “I’m sure we can handle picking out a few council members.”

Lily decided to ignore this. “I also have a few law proposals that I think would be beneficial. They are just drafts, and… not exactly the best writing, but I think it would go a long way to help ease people’s worries right now.” She pulled out a slightly crumpled packet of papers and set it on his desk. Potter grunted, and Lily shifted angrily on her feet. 

“I think we have a lot to talk about, Lily. Do you mind coming back tomorrow when we have more time?” Remus asked politely. “We can discuss the laws and new council members.”

Lily hesitated, wanting to push through and just work on things now, but also fully aware that she was an uninvited guest who had basically just told the King that he was being an idiot. So she nodded, thanked them, and turned to leave. She was halfway to the door when she stopped suddenly with an idea rapidly forming in her head. “Do you ever leave the palace?” she asked. 

Potter raised his eyebrows. Remus glanced at him, clearly sending him a warning. Sirius sat up a little bit straighter. “Not really, why?”

Lily bit her lip, mind working quickly. “If we went out together, I think it might project an image that we’re trying to cooperate. Maybe if they see us working together, people might be less worried about the changes.”

James smirked. “Are you trying to use me?”

Lily wanted to punch him in the face. He seemed incapable of not egging her on for even a minute. “ _Yes_ , asshole, that’s actually the whole point. Working together would be good for _your_ image.”

“And yours.” 

“Fine - mine too!” Lily threw her hands up. “But I’ve done plenty of things that weren’t good for my ‘image’, so hopefully you can see that’s not why I’m doing this. It’s a good idea, and you know it.”

He blew out his breath slowly. “We can go tomorrow. I’ll meet you by the stables at one. We can discuss the rest of this after.”

Lily nodded curtly, grateful that he agreed. She had been about ready to toss the whole idea in the trash, even though this was a good next step. If they were going to get the people’s support, they needed to be seen working together outside of the palace.

When Lily arrived at the stables the next morning, James was already there, dressed in pants and a short green tunic. Several guards were already mounted, and they were dressed surprisingly inconspicuous. Lily was grateful that he had chosen to be more casual. Dressing like a king might do more harm than good in this uncertain situation, especially if they wanted him to come across as approachable.

As she drew near him, she waved a list and a basket. “We’ll go to the market. Your cook said she needed a few things.”

He nodded, grabbed the reins, and swung on his horse. Lily shifted on her feet, hesitating - was he expecting her to walk? She didn’t have a horse, and he knew that. Lily turned to him, mouth half-open. He smirked. “I have a horse for you, Evans. Do you know how to ride?”

She grimaced. She had been on a horse a couple of times, but she wouldn’t exactly say she could ride. Still, she wouldn’t admit it. “Yes.”

He raised an eyebrow, clearly not believing her for a second. A servant approached her holding a beautiful black horse’s reins. Lily smiled sweetly and flipped Potter off, now determined to prove him wrong. Several of the guards chuckled and she tried to use it as a distraction from her getting on the horse. She wasn’t successful, and nearly fell off with her foot jammed in the stirrup. After several unsuccessful tries, with James laughing nearby, one of the guards swung down and helped her up. 

“Here ya go, ma’am,” he said, letting her use his knee as a bench. She smiled gratefully even though he was clearly trying not to laugh. She took a few seconds to settle in before falling in line with James. 

The guards’ comfort level rapidly decreased as the crowds around them grew bigger, and their hands drifted towards their guns. They fell quiet, heads turning as they scanned the crowd for anyone who might want to hurt them. To his credit, James stayed calm and occasionally waved at little children. Lily led them over the bridge, and down the main street filled with wagons and horses. When she turned off the main street, she dismounted and called out “this is the Pike Market”, to let the guards know where they were. 

She tied off her horse at a post and handed James the grocery list, who looked at it like it was written in ancient Hebrew. “Never been shopping before Potter?” He flushed, and it was Lily’s turn to smirk. It seemed fair that her embarrassment over not being able to get on a horse had somewhat transferred to Potter. She grabbed the list back, reading over it as she led them down the street and into the crowded marketplace. 

It didn’t take long for people to recognize them. The guards formed a circle around them, pushing people as they walked towards the first booth, which made them hard to ignore. On top of that, James was fairly tall, and Lily’s red hair made her easily recognizable. 

Lily approached the first booth, prodding a guard out of the way so she could get closer. Lily chatted easily with the owner named Franceso, an older man Lily used to often buy greens from, while James moved to the next booth.

When she had gotten the greens the cook had wanted, Lily joined James. The booth owner was a nervous wreck. Talking to the king seemed to have that effect on everyone but Lily. James seemed laid back and completely comfortable, but the guards had formed an intimidating circle around him. Lily frowned at the guard who had helped her onto the horse. “Lighten up, will you guys? We’re trying to talk to people, and we can’t do that if you lot look mean.” 

“Ma’am, we are just trying to protect -”

“- there’s no one here to hurt us!” Lily insisted. She snatched the list from James and carefully tore off half. She handed one piece back to James and the other to one of the guards. “What’s your name?”

“Eric, ma’am,” he said, looking oddly at the list. 

“Eric, you go get the fresh eggs the cook requested,” Lily ordered. She turned to the next guard. “And you - Matthew, right? you can get the parsley.” 

No one moved. Lily put her hands on her hips. “What?”

“We can’t leave King James, ma’am,” Matthew informed her. At the mention of his name, James swung around. “She wants us to help with the shopping, your majesty, but we can’t leave you,” Matthew told him quickly. 

James frowned, but it was clear he understood Lily’s point. “It’s alright, Eric can stay with us. We don’t need all of you.” The guards frowned, clearly uncomfortable with the idea. “That’s an order, captain.”

At James' last words, the guards bowed and disappeared into the crowd, leaving Eric behind with James and Lily. Lily shot James an appreciative smile. If this whole excursion was going to work, they needed to seem approachable and friendly - especially James.

James turned back to the man behind the booth, who had somewhat calmed down now that there were fewer guards watching, and handed him a few coins. The man wrapped up the apples he purchased and handed them over, thanking him for his business profusely. James smiled and thanked him instead. 

If anyone asked Lily, she would have said that she was not impressed with James’ actions. She would have said that he was just doing the normal thing - being a decent human being. But secretly, he was doing an outstanding job - completely at ease and seemingly normal - not that she would ever, ever tell him that. 

“I’m going to grab a few things for myself, alright Eric?” Lily asked, turning back to the market square. Although no one had approached them, Eric still looked very worried and was on high alert. Before he could say no, Lily disappeared into the crowd, making her way towards her favorite pastry booth. Before she could get very far, a hand gripped her wrist. Lily spun on her heel, her fist half-raised before recognizing Alice. 

“Alice! You scared the crap out of me!” Lily exclaimed, pulling her into a tight hug. 

“Did you see King James is here?” Alice pulled out of the hug, glancing over her shoulder. “Someone said he was wearing a _cape_ , how pretentious is that?”

Lily laughed. She grabbed Alice’s hand and pulled her in the direction of the pastry booth. “He’s not wearing a cape, Al. I came with him.”

Alice spun around, mouth open wide. “Lily Evans, you did not.” Lily rolled her eyes, pulling out a coin from her pocket. “You told me that you guys were working on some things, but not going out in public together!”

Lily ordered her and Alice’s favorite pastry before replying. “It’s not like that. We’re trying to make it seem like he’s listening to the people.”

Alice gladly accepted the pastry, taking a huge bite. She mumbled something, but her mouth was too full and Lily shook her head. She chewed quickly, giving a big thumbs up to the baker. “So you used your status and his status. Smart.”

“First of all, don’t forget that he’s a dick. And second, I don’t have a status,” Lily said, stuffing her mouth with her peach pastry. 

Alice nodded wisely. “I think reputation is the better word. Everyone knows you started the riots, and now you’re working with the _king_?” She took another bite. “People are definitely going to trust you - and him - more now.”

Lily ventured back into the crowd, pulling Alice with her. “What are you doing here? I thought you were working today.”

“Nah, Gideon took my shift. He was working three nights in a row, so I offered to trade.”

Lily plopped the last bit of pastry in her mouth. She glanced over to where she had last seen James to find him still talking with the man from the fruit booth. The guards were still scattered around the square, and Lily figured it would probably be best for her to finish the shopping with James. “I’ve got to run, Lils,” Alice said. “Tell your king I said hi. Oh! Dumbledore needs you at the inn. Tonight at nine. Said you just needed to fill out some paperwork.”

Lily groaned. “I swear I was just there.” She pulled Alice in for another hug. “I’ll see you later.”

Alice waved goodbye, and made her way back to the street. Lily wiped the corner of her mouth with her sleeve and began walking back towards James. He didn’t acknowledge her when he arrived, but eventually wrapped up his conversation and consulted his portion of the list. “Onions?” 

Lily pointed at a booth across the square, and they set off, Eric tagging behind them. Within half an hour, they had finished the shopping and the guards had returned with their assignments. The group made their way back to the horses, this time much more relaxed and open. James stopped several times to talk, and Lily recognized a few friends in the crowd. By the time they made it back to their horses, it was nearly five o’clock. James and Lily stayed quiet, until they crossed the bridge, letting their guards do most of the talking. Once they were away from prying ears, Lily turned to James. “You’ve done that before, haven’t you.” It wasn’t a question, it was a statement. 

James shrugged. “We used to sneak out a lot. Not to go shopping, but - no one really knows what we look like, so we just wore hats and some old clothes. ”

“Hm. I’ve never heard anything about you in the city.”

He shrugged again. “It’s been a while since I’ve gone.” His voice was rough and it was clear he didn’t want to talk anymore. Lily guessed that ever since his dad had passed away and he had become king, he hadn’t been able to sneak away as often. She wondered if he snuck out to cause trouble to escape some of the never-ending responsibilities of royal life. She almost wanted to ask, trying to get a better grasp on his character, but decided to drop the subject. They slowed down as they made their way into the stables, reining in their horses to a slow walk.

“I think it was a success.”

James glanced at her, sliding down from his horse. “Yeah. I think it was good.” 

That seemed to cover everything that needed to be said about their excursion, and Lily wasn’t inclined to start another conversation. Lily led her horse into the stables and grabbed a brush. She waved a servant off, even though she was a little unsure about what she was doing, and began brushing down her horse. Once again, James surprised her by doing the same. The servant clearly knew that James was going to do this, but stayed close at hand if he needed anything. 

Once Lily was finished, she quickly said goodbye and began the long walk back to the inn. She hadn’t eaten anything all day except for the pastry, and she had a pile of work waiting for her at the Order once she returned. As she walked, head down and hands stuffed in her pockets, her mind turned to James. She was surprised at him today. Not only had he fit right in with everyone at the market, but he had also been friendly with everyone, without a hint of ego or arrogance. Overall, their trip to the market had been a success. There were no unfriendly interactions, and besides the menacing guards at the beginning, she guessed their appearance together was a start to rebuilding some of the trust between the public and the palace. 

She could only hope it would last, and that her and Potter might actually get some things done. 


	2. Chapter 2

For the next month, Lily traveled back and forth between the palace and the Order, planning with Potter, Remus, Sirius, and Peter in the morning, and then planning with Dumbledore and the Order at night. Occasionally, she and Potter went to the market, with only a few guards. They became regulars at the market, and based on what she heard from her friends throughout the city, people were starting to trust them more. They were less suspicious of Lily, and more welcoming to King James. The simple trips seemed to be working in their favor.

Any free time she had was spent working shifts at the inn, and frantically planning their next move. Dumbledore was increasingly growing angry at her involvement with Potter, worried that she was getting too wrapped up into politics. Most of their meetings ended in arguments, but always ended in some compromise one way or another. Until one day, she snapped. 

“The Order’s purpose is to fight death eaters, Ms. Evans,” Dumbledore said, leaning over a table littered in diagrams and books. “You are missing the point.”

“I’ve never been involved in _just_ the Order! This is my way of getting rid of them for good.”

“Ms. Evans, if you continue to get heavily involved, I don’t believe this will work out. Too much publicity is going to draw attention to us.”

Lily’s stomach dropped. Dumbledore’s voice was clear - she was no longer welcome, and this had been a long time coming. The Order had been a part of her life for _years_ , and she believed in everything it stood for. She nodded slowly, closing the book in front of her. There was no point in trying to argue. She would probably do the same if she was in Dumbledore’s position. “If you need my help with anything, let me know.”

Dumbledore stood and shook her hand. “Thank you for all your help. If you decide to step back from the palace, please do come back to help us.”

Lily nodded, shook his hand tightly, and walked out, a huge lump in her throat. She had known this was going to come, at some point or another. Even when she had first joined, she had never thought she would stick with it forever. The Order had meant a lot to her, but in recent months, it seemed like they were going down separate paths. As much as she wanted to stay on both, it was getting too hard to do both. Lily wanted to address the systemic problems in the country, while the Order focused more on simply stopping the death eaters. It was meaningful work, but Lily was never satisfied and always wanted to be more proactive. Almost a year ago, she had begun leading the protests, desperate for more change than the Order was willing to fight for.

The next time Lily visited the palace, James and Lily immediately got into a heated argument about what step to take next. With almost a quarter of the original council members now gone, and only four spots refilled, Lily thought that they needed to start replacing council members, while James thought they needed to let more go. 

Within minutes, the argument had dissolved into a shouting match between James and Lily, unable to reach a decision. Remus chose to stay silent, watching in amusement from the couch as they threw insults left and right. 

“For the last time, we have to throw out Lestrange because he’s one of the strongest -”

“Open your eyes, Potter! We can’t throw out Lestrange yet, it’s too risky. If you could just look past the end of your nose and realize that not everything -” Lily was saying, jabbing a finger in James’ direction. 

Finally, Remus shot up, putting a hand on each of their shoulders and forcing them apart. “Let’s break it up, you guys have been at it for hours.” James shoved the hand off his shoulder but called in a guard waiting just outside the door. 

“Can you get Peter and Sirius in here?” He sat heavily down into his chair, glancing down at the mess of papers on his desk. The guard bowed and walked out the door. 

Sirius playfully punched Lily’s shoulder as he walked in and Lily briefly smiled at him. “Everyone’s getting worried that we aren’t uniting the Kingdom. They’re worried that he - “ she pointed a finger at James, still frustrated, “- is just getting rid of the council members so he can become a dictator. Since you haven’t replaced all of the members yet -”

“- I can’t replace them yet - I don’t know if they’re loyal to me! I can’t just put someone in the position without making sure they aren’t under Riddle’s influence. That takes time.”

“And you really have no one else you can trust? Just these three?” Lily gestured towards Sirius, Peter, and Remus, who were watching with amused looks. 

He glanced at them. “There are a few others. But -”

“Then do it! Put Pettigrew in if you need, at least he has more spine than that Tuffet dunce you put in last time!”

“Hey -” Peter started, but James quickly interrupted him. “Fine. But maybe you should join as well, instead of just organizing violent riots every day that destroy the city you’re trying to fix.”

Lily took a step back, face pale. But it immediately hardened, and she stepped forward, an angry glint in her eye. “I already told you, that’s not me organizing the protests anymore. We made a deal, and I’m trying to help.”

“Really, help? How much is this helping the country, and how much is it helping you?” He stepped back, crossing his arms. “Maybe I shouldn’t trust you after all.”

Remus tried to interject, grabbing Lily’s arm, but she threw him off, now in Potter’s face. Her voice was sharp, every word meant to sting. “One well-timed speech from me, and I can make this entire city turn against you.”

He pushed past her, walking around the desk. His face was red, and his fists were clenched tightly. “I’ll put in Peter to replace Greyback. And you can replace Carrow.” 

Lily nodded curtly. Remus cleared his throat awkwardly, cutting through the tension in the room. They all turned to face him, annoyed. “That’s not possible. There’s a... law. It’s been around for centuries, and it's a minor inconvenience, but can only be changed by a King _and_ Queen or with a public vote, although that could take ages and ages -”

“Spit it out Remus,” James said hotly. He twisted his hands as he spoke. “Lily can’t be in the council unless she’s the Queen.”

The room fell quiet. 

“Because I’m a woman?” Lily said, rubbing her face tiredly. It didn’t take long for the dots to connect. She’d always assumed that misogyny had prevented female council members, but it made sense that there was an actual law about it.

Remus nodded. “Unfortunately.”

Sirius spoke up first. “Which means… they’d have to get married?”

“Unfortunately… yes.”

Lily stared at Remus. “There’s no other option?”

He shrugged. “I’d have to check, but the law was pretty clear when it was made. No woman can be in the council unless they are royalty. And you can only change that rule with a King _and_ Queen. So either way... It’s been around forever.”

Lily swung around to look at Potter, who was running another hand through his hair. “Did you know this?”

He shook his head quickly, now looking slightly worried. “No, and Evans, you don’t have to do it, we can find someone else to fill the council spot.”

“Who else could do it better than Evans?” Sirius said, trying to suppress a laugh.

Lily glanced at James, who seemed to have calmed down slightly, and he met her gaze evenly. His eyes dropped briefly before flicking up to meet hers again. Ever so slightly, he nodded, and Lily nodded back, taking a shuddering breath in. She turned back to Sirius and Remus and said, “If anything... it will unite the people. If I’m in the royal family and the council, that will go a long way to help ease the tension right now. ” 

Remus watched them for a second, frowning. “I’ll double-check on the law just in case. Don’t start planning a wedding just yet.” He walked out of the room, leaving the others in silence. 

Sirius pulled James to the side, talking in a hushed tone, eventually coaxing a laugh out of him. Lily moved to sit on the other side of the room, hugging her arms to her chest and trying to process this new information. This had been the absolute last thing she was expecting. Never in her life would she have imagined that she would be married to the _king_ , and especially not to someone she hated. 

Lily stayed still, rocking back and forth slightly as she thought about the implications of marriage and all the responsibilities that would come from her becoming Queen. If she was going to do this, she wasn’t just going to be a figurehead, she would be an active participant in the council and continue her same work. 

Remus walked in ten minutes later, holding a single leatherbound book. He rubbed his forehead as Lily shot up, hopeful for good news. He handed her the book, opening to a page near the back. “There’s only a page about it, but in this case, you need a queen and king to change the law without the public’s input. And we don’t have a queen, and it would take months to get a vote in place, so -”

“- We have to get married.” 

Remus nodded, eyes downcast. He seemed troubled and anxious. Lily couldn’t blame him. “Yeah.”

“I can’t - Evans, this isn’t fair -” James stood up, backing away, jaw clenching tightly. 

Sirius stepped forward. “Mate, it can’t be that bad. Just for a year or two, until you can get things figured out. And then-”

James slammed his fist into the wall, becoming angrier with every word. “If I can’t even lead a country on my own, how am I supposed to do it with a wife?”

“ _Excuse me_? You were fine with it earlier,” Lily interjected, face heating up at his words. His misogyny seemed to be fully out at the moment. 

“This is your fault! You just wanted the power in the first place - you did everything you could to get rid of the council members so that I would have to put you in, you knew about the law, don’t deny it!”

“If I wanted your power, I would have convinced you to put me in _ages_ ago. I didn’t even consider going in!” It already stung that she was going to have to marry him, the least he could do was not act like she was a power hungry traitor.

“James, you’re being unfair -” Remus started, moving closer to James.

“I’ve been fighting for change since I was fifteen. How could I have possibly known about this law? I didn’t even want to talk to you in the first place!” Lily’s anger grew, and she crossed her arms tightly. James didn’t look at her, breathing heavily. 

“Can we have the room?” Lily asked, still staring directly at James. As Remus and Sirius filled out of the room, Lily moved closer. When the door shut behind them, James spoke first.

“This isn’t fair.”

Lily groaned. “Of course it isn’t fair - do you think I want to be married right now?” 

James ran a hand through his hair, making it stand on its ends. “There has to be another way.”

“There isn’t. This is the quickest, easiest way to get things to change right now. We both know that.”

James moved away from her, sitting heavily in the chair behind his desk. His jaw clenched tightly, and he glanced away. “Alright. We’ll stick it out for a year or two, change the rule, and then we can divorce.”

“Sounds good. I don’t care when the wedding is, but it needs to be sooner than later.”

James nodded in assent. Feeling overwhelmed at this sudden change, Lily murmured, “I’ll be back tomorrow to discuss details.” She walked out of the room, past Sirius and Remus, and by the time she got to the front gates, broke into a run.

Half an hour later, she rounded the corner of the street of the inn, still trying to process this new life change. The sun was nearly gone, but a crowd of people filled the street. Lily came to a screeching halt, mouth open in shock as she saw what was in front of her. 

The inn, the headquarters of the Order, was in smoldering ruins. The entire front of the building had collapsed in, leaving only the back wall intact. Lily frantically pushed through the crowd towards the front and stopped dead. Drawn in black letters on the ground in front of the building was the death eater symbol, a snake twisted in a skull. Lily recognized it instantly. The death eaters had found the Order - but how much did they know?

Lily felt her throat restrict tightly, and tears welled up in her eyes. Where were her friends? Blinking rapidly, she turned and pushed her way out of the crowd, running towards Alice’s apartment. She took the long way, winding in and out of alleys in case someone was following her. 

The street was quiet when she arrived, but Dumbledore stood just outside of Alice’s door. Lily glanced behind her, took a second to calm her breathing, then approached him. “Dumbledore? Are you okay?”

He turned to look at her. His face had streaks of ash on it, and he looked exhausted. He grabbed her shoulder shakily. “I’m unharmed, Ms. Evans. You saw the inn?”

“Yes - what happened?” Lily’s voice shook, fear creeping in as the shock of what she had just seen wore off. 

“They found the inn. I believe they were following Ms. Griffiths. She reported the other day that she thought someone was following her.”

“ _Shit,”_ Lily said. She had been so out of touch with Alice lately that she hadn’t even known this. “And they attacked in broad daylight? Did anyone see them?”

Dumbledore shook his head. “Not that I can tell. They threw in a bottle with gas and a lit rag - the building was in flames in seconds.”

“Is everyone ok? Did everyone make it out?”

“Yes, but Ms. Evans…” Dumbledore hesitated, his dark eyes watching Lily carefully. “Ms. Griffiths is missing.”

“Alice? Like missing, as in, she was in the inn? Could she just be hiding somewhere else? What do you mean, she’s missing?”

“Mr. Longbottom hasn’t seen her today. She was due for a shift at the inn, but never showed up. A few hours later, the inn was on fire.”

Lily reached out and gripped Dumbledore’s arm tightly. “Did she get captured?”

“We aren’t certain, but it’s best we assume the worst case scenario at the moment. I waited at her apartment to tell you. It’s best we lay low for a while and regroup. I want limited contact between everyone for the next two weeks.”

Lily nodded slowly, trying to take everything in. Dumbledore patted her arm gently, and began making his way down the street. He hadn’t gotten more than a few steps before Lily remembered something. 

“Sir!” 

He turned around, peering over his glasses. “I’m… I’m getting married,” Lily informed him, sounding like she didn’t believe it herself. “To Potter.”

Dumbledore didn’t move. He peered over his glasses at her, and Lily felt like she was being analyzed down to her very core. Suddenly she felt very uncomfortable. “And you think this is the right decision?”

“No. I mean, yes, it’s the right decision. I just didn’t expect it, but it’s going to help -”

He held up his hand, and Lily stopped rambling. “If we want something to change, we all need to sacrifice. If you believe this is the right decision, then it’s the right decision.” He turned to walk away, but turned back around, hands clasped behind his back. “This may be the last time you can ever freely walk these streets.” He turned his gaze to the sky, quiet for a moment. Lily watched him carefully, trying to understand his thoughts. “Goodnight, Ms. Evans.”

“Goodnight,” Lily whispered. Dumbledore disappeared around the corner in a few seconds, and Lily somehow knew it would be a long time before she saw him again. 

Even though he hadn’t given her a clear answer, Dumbledore was right about one thing- if Lily went through with the marriage, she would probably never be able to walk alone through the streets again. Alice was gone, possibly forever, the death eaters had discovered them, and Lily was getting married to King James Potter. 

Lily took a long, shuddering breath, evaluating her options. She assumed her apartment was no longer safe, but she needed a few essentials if she was going anywhere. Angrily, Lily kicked at a rock, glaring up at the sky. There was too much to process, but right now, she needed to get off the streets. Alice was gone, and her family wouldn’t be safe if she visited, leaving her one other place she could turn. 

Her apartment was dirt cheap, tiny, and windowless. After making sure no one had followed her, and that the room was empty, Lily got to work. Her mattress was on the floor, covered by a single sheet and flimsy blanket. Her clothes filled a single crate in the corner, all her food filled another, and her kitchen table was covered in books, drawings, and letters from friends. 

Lily quickly grabbed her backpack, stuffing it with her few possessions scattered throughout her room. A pistol, given to her by Alice, was hidden under her mattress, and Lily stuffed it into her waistband. Within a few minutes, Lily was back out the door, her backpack over one shoulder, and hoisting the food crate on one hip. She locked the door behind her, dropped the crate of food on her neighbor’s porch, and began her walk.

Although her face was already known throughout the city, she kept her Order connection quiet, and she was generally left unbothered. All that would change as soon as they announced the wedding. As the last of the sunlight faded from the sky, and the last market stragglers closed their shops, Lily walked quickly to the palace. When she arrived, Lily knocked on the gates, each knock ringing hollowly in her ears. It was as if each knock further sealed her fate. She took a deep breath, stepping back to wait for the guards to answer her knock. 

Most of the guards were used to her by now, and no longer checked her for weapons when they escorted her inside. She knew most of them by name. But this time, the guard that opened the door was new. Lily bit her tongue, cursing her stupidity. Why had she thought it would be a good idea to bring a gun?

“I’m here to see King James,” she said politely, hoping they wouldn’t search her. It also didn’t help that it was so late at night. “I have an appointment.”

The guard eyed her backpack cautiously. “What’s in the bag?” 

“A few personal items. I’m moving in.”

The guard frowned, but gestured to someone behind him to search her. Lily sighed, raised her arms, and bit her tongue. In an instant, the guard had found the gun tucked into her waistband. In another few seconds, she was knocked to the ground, with a heavy pile of guards on top of her. Lily groaned as they cuffed her tightly and hauled her to her feet. She was an idiot.

Expecting to be instantly put in jail, Lily was surprised when they led her to King James’ office. It was late, and she thought he would have been asleep. The guards nearly kicked the door in, startling James. He looked up from his papers, more than a little surprised to see Lily surrounded by half a dozen guards. “What’s this?” He said, pulling his legs from off his desk to sit up straighter. Remus, who was sitting in front of the desk, bolted up from his seat, staring at her.

“She said she had an appointment with you. And she was carrying this.” The guard who had searched her placed the gun on his desk and stepped back. James looked down at it in surprise, eyes flickering dangerously towards Lily. 

“Evans?”

Facing him, tied up and surrounded by guards, suddenly seemed a lot worse than spending a long night in jail. Lily gritted her teeth, swallowing her pride. “I need a place to stay.”

James watched her carefully for a minute. She stared back, not willing to talk more with other people in the room. Remus cleared his throat, shooting a look at James, who finally grunted and turned to the guards. “Release her, she’s fine.” He stood up and handed one of the guards the gun. In a few seconds, Lily was released from the handcuffs, and the guards had filed out of the room.

“Lily, are you okay?” Remus asked. Both Remus and James looked equally exhausted, and the short candles spread throughout the room were evidence of their long day. James’ desk was even messier than usual, and both of them seemed like they were about to fall over.

Lily’s shoulders slumped. “There was a death eater attack on the Order this evening. I… the headquarters are gone, and my friend is missing.”

“Are you injured?” Remus grabbed Lily’s arm gently and led her to a chair. “Who is missing?”

Lily put her face in her hands, rubbing her tired eyes. “I’m fine. I’m not positive they’re following me, but we think they followed my friend, Alice, to our headquarters. Everyone got out in time, luckily, but no one’s heard from her in two days.” She pulled her face out of her hands, steadying her voice. “They attacked in broad daylight.” 

“What were you going to do with the gun?” James asked coldly. 

Lily shot a withering glare at him. It was clear he still didn’t fully trust her. “I usually carry one on me, I just don’t bring it when I come here. I… I was hoping I could stay here.”

“You don’t have anywhere else to go?” 

“I’m worried that I will just put people in danger wherever I go.” The death eaters were closing in on them, and Lily had to fight back tears at the thought that she was the reason Alice was missing. “We know that the death eaters aren’t huge fans of mine, and they just attacked the Order. I’m probably their next target. If I’m here, at least I have a little more protection, and they are less likely to come after you.” 

“How come they haven’t been able to find you yet?” Remus asked, sounding genuinely concerned. “They’re everywhere in the city, and you’re well enough known that it would be easy to follow you.”

Lily shrugged. She had been asking herself the same thing for a month now, but she didn’t have an answer. “I’ve been lucky. I keep my Order connection quiet, rarely keep the same schedule, don’t talk to people if I can help it, and I make sure to lose anyone following me before I go anywhere. My guess is they thought I wasn’t a huge problem because I was just a girl leading protests that accomplished absolutely nothing.”

“Wait, how long have people been following you?” James sat up straighter. 

“A month maybe. Ever since I started coming to this side of the river.” Lily folded her arms defensively. “I can take care of myself.” 

“Why didn’t you tell us? We could’ve put a security detail on you, or you could’ve lived here -”

“And what would that have accomplished? I needed that month to show that I was working _with_ you. If I suddenly became all hoity-toity and ignored everyone at home -”

“What about your friend? Aren’t you the one that put her in danger then?” James said. Lily felt like he had punched her in the stomach, sucking in a sharp breath. He was right. it was her fault that Alice was missing. She hadn’t been careful enough. 

“James -” Remus said, but Lily knew James was right. But if she talked about it anymore, she was going to cry or explode, or both. She waved Remus off, taking in a deep breath. 

“There’s nothing I can do about it anymore. It’s late, and we have a wedding to plan.”


	3. Chapter 3

They scheduled the wedding for three weeks later. The official announcement was announced throughout the city the following week, and didn’t mention anything even remotely related to love, instead focusing on “uniting the public and royalty”. 

At first, when they were drafting the announcement, Remus tried to convince them that stating outright that this was a political marriage would do more harm than good. With death eater attacks on the rise, he had insisted that ‘a romantic marriage was going to distract people right now and improve morale until we can get other things sorted out.’ 

Lily disagreed. She had grown up in a dangerous, impoverished neighborhood, and refused to push aside the fact that she wasn’t royalty. “The whole purpose of the marriage is to unite the people and royalty. If we try to distract them with this love crap, we aren’t using the marriage to our advantage,” she had insisted. It hadn’t taken her long to convince them to drop the love angle. 

Plus, Lily considered acting like she was in love with James Potter worse than being sentenced to eternity in hell. 

Within a day of moving into the palace, Lily’s life had completely changed. She stayed in a small room across the hall from Peter, but usually ate with all the others in the dining hall. Everyday, Lily, James, Remus, Sirius, and Peter met to discuss their next move. They debated new council member names, drafted and revised laws to propose to the council, and planned a wedding. 

If she had any free time, which were usually only a few minutes squeezed between meetings or late at night, Lily practiced her reading and writing. She had attended school until she was twelve, and then had worked at a bakery until she had joined the Order. She could read and write, but struggled to keep up with the fancy language and law jargon that was thrown around her at every meeting. Whenever she could, she snuck to the library to look up new words she had heard or practice her spelling.

Lily was glad she was so busy. With Alice missing, and no Order to fall back to, Lily was practically alone. Remus, Sirius, and Peter did their best to make her feel welcome, but Lily was out of place amongst all of the noble ladies, and she missed her freedom in the city. She hadn’t exactly expected to fit in with all the noble ladies, but it wasn’t hard to hear the constant rumors spread about her. 

The thing she missed the most was having someone to talk to. She was getting married to a man she hated, with no friends by her side - she couldn’t invite any of her friends from the Order in case they were recognized. Her family’s relationship was strained at best, and they didn’t want to participate in the wedding ceremony. On top of that, she was trying to turn her country around, surrounded by men who hated her. Lily was terrified, and the only way she knew how to cope was by throwing herself into her work. 

While the Order began regrouping, the death eaters had increased their attacks. More and more reports filtered in from the city of threatening notes, fires, and deadly mobs. On several occasions, Lily had dressed as a maid and snuck out to meet a few of her friends throughout the city. They had all been members of the Order and were doing their best to keep the death eaters at bay. Lily tried to keep in touch to make sure she knew what was going on in the city. Often, her friends didn’t have any significant information, but since Lily was living in the palace, it helped her to hear about what was happening in the city. On Lily’s last trip, she had met briefly with Frank Longbottom, who was Alice’s boyfriend, and Gideon Prewett, who she had met when she first joined the Order. They met at Gideon’s apartment, a tiny box with a low hanging ceiling. It wasn’t anything compared to the palace, but Lily felt much more comfortable.

When Lily asked if they knew anything about Alice, Frank clearly hadn’t wanted to talk about it. “I haven’t heard from Alice since the night before the attack,” he had said quickly.

Lily patted his hand gently. “She’s a fighter. I’m sure she’s doing okay.” 

Frank nodded his thanks briefly. Lily decided to change the subject, folding her arms over her chest. “Any news about the rest of the city?” 

Frank looked relieved at the change of topic as Gideon began speaking. “Nothing much. We still can’t get ahead of the death eaters. They’re hitting faster now, but not as big as they used to. We think their smaller attacks are aimed to increase fear in the city.” He shrugged. “And it’s working. Shops are closing earlier on market days, mother’s are keeping their children on a tighter leash, and everyone is avoiding eye contact.”

“We’re trying to regroup the Order, but Dumbledore is being extra careful with who he trusts from now on,” Frank said, rejoining the conversation. “I’m not sure how it’s going to work out yet.”

Lily had stayed late that night, catching up with her friends. They were shocked that she was getting married, but understood the reason behind it. “People aren’t sure how to feel, Lil,” Gideon said. “I think it was good to emphasize it was more of a political marriage, but people are also disappointed that the good-looking King wasn’t going to marry some fancy, beautiful princess.”

Lily raised her eyebrows, grinning. “What are you trying to say about me?”

Gideon winked at her. “You are definitely not a princess, Lil. I’ve seen you curse some unlucky soul out too many times to think you could even pretend to act all proper.”

Lily punched his shoulder, laughing. Gideon had a point though - even if everyone knew she was from the streets, she couldn’t act like she normally did. By the time she had finally left, traveled across the river, and snuck back into the palace, it was nearly three in the morning. Not expecting anyone to be awake, once inside, she walked directly to the kitchens, starving. 

Using the moonlight from a nearby window, she fumbled in a drawer for a match and candle. When she finally had the candle lit, she screamed, jumping back. Sirius was sitting on a countertop to her right, grinning widely. 

“How long have you been there?” Lily gasped. “You scared me!”

Sirius slid off, laughing uproariously. “Your eyes almost popped out of your head. You didn’t notice me that entire time.”

Her hand still shaking, she flipped him the bird and set the candle on a table. Sirius was one of her better friends in the castle. She didn’t know a lot about him, but the two of them had similar senses of humor and enjoyed arguing with James. “Are there any scones left?”

“Nope, just finished the last one off,” Sirius made a show of popping it into his mouth. “What are you doing up?”

Lily shrugged, walking to the cabinet to find something else. “Couldn’t sleep.”

“Hm. Is that because it’s a little hard to sleep and sneak out of the palace at the same time?”

Lily spun quickly on her heel. “How did you know?” He shrugged nonchalantly. “I just went to visit some friends,” she said quietly. 

“Why don’t you invite them here? They could mix with your other noble lady friends.”

She shot him a withering glare. “You know all the noble women hate me. Lady Robbins saw me walking down the hallway yesterday and literally turned the other way. Besides, they’re friends from the Order, and we don’t know how much the death eaters know. We can’t risk them being here.”

“But the fiancė of King James Potter, Lily Evans, can go sneaking late at night in the city?” Remus now entered the room, holding a candle of his own and wrapped in a blue bathrobe. Lily’s head fell back in exasperation.

“What are you doing up, Remus?” Lily groaned. Remus was the most responsible of any of them, and Lily was not in the mood to hear about it. “I don’t need a lecture right now.”

“I couldn’t sleep.”

Sirius pulled a scone from his pocket and tossed it to Remus. Lily flipped Sirius the bird again, but didn’t say anything. “Lily, you can’t go out alone anymore. We’ve told you this.”

“No one even looked twice at me”

“She made it back safely,” Sirius added, tossing his hair out of his face. “I say no harm, no foul.”

“Uh huh. And what happens when someone does look at you, kidnaps you, and holds you for ransom?” Remus ripped the scone apart and handed half to Lily.

“It’s not going to happen. And I can defend myself.” She plopped the scone in her mouth.

“If you’re going to go, at least bring a guard,” Remus sighed. He pressed his fingers into his forehead as if he was warding off a headache. “Just don’t get... killed or kidnapped, I guess.”

The night before the wedding and coronation, Lily barely slept. She had stayed up late discussing the final wedding arrangements with her maids. Despite being exhausted, when she finally got to bed, she stared at the ceiling for hours. She was terrified about marrying James, nervous about the wedding details, and more than anything, she was lonely. With the other feelings, she could tackle the problem and solve it, but she didn’t have anyone by her side, and that scared her the most. Her father was gone, so she had no one to walk her down the aisle, and her mother and sister hadn’t wanted to participate in the ceremony. Alice was gone, and Lily had been so busy that she hadn’t had time to talk to anyone else. When she finally drifted off, it was nearly dawn. 

Lily spent the morning of her wedding trying to read several reports of death eaters attacks, but understandably, her mind kept drifting. Thoughts about James, becoming a council member and the most scarily of all, becoming a _queen_ crowded her thoughts. She was going to marry James Potter, the King of England, who she currently couldn’t hold a normal conversation with for more than fifteen seconds without arguing. From now on, they’d be expected to sleep in the same room, put on a pleasant front whenever they were with other people, and make decisions for the entire country. 

On top of that, becoming a member of the council and a queen wasn’t something anyone had prepared Lily for. Remus had spent a few hours helping her learn basic etiquette, but more than anything, Lily was worried she would make a huge social blunder and ruin her chances of getting anything done before she even started. Part of her wanted to just forget the etiquette, partially because she felt that acting like she wasn’t from the city wasn’t true to who she was. But she knew if she offended everyone straight off, no one would take her seriously. It was a fine line to walk, which only added to her nerves.

When her maids arrived to help her get ready, Lily excused herself to the bathroom for a minute. Once the door was locked behind her, Lily stared at her reflection in the mirror. In just three weeks, her cheeks had filled out thanks to the abundance of food, but her eyes looked tired and lifeless. Lily felt completely numb for what was about to happen. She took a deep, shuddering breath, digging her fingernails into her palms to keep herself from crying. Hands shaking, she splashed cool water on her face. By the time she had dried herself off, she had shaken off the numbness, and her eyes became determined and focused. 

While her maids put the final touches on her wedding dress, Lily ran through her vows. One of her maids patted her face gently as Lily chewed anxiously on her lip. “Stop fretting, your majesty. Everything is in place, and you’re only going to mess up your lipstick.”

Lily flashed her a quick smile, resolving to hide her nervousness better.

It seemed like the next few minutes passed in a complete blur. As the music started, she was placed in front of a closed door leading to the church. When it was time, she made her way down the aisle, smiling brightly towards James. When she took her place next to him, he briefly glanced at her.

“You look nervous,” he smirked. He was wearing his military uniform, covered in badges, and a wide red sash across his chest. “You look outrageous,” she whispered out of the corner of her mouth, but then plastered a smile onto her face, watching his smirk slide off his face from the corner of her eye. 

In what felt like a blink of an eye, King James and Lily said “I do”, kissed briefly, and exchanged rings. And just like that, they were married. And a few minutes after that, Lily was crowned Queen.

The reception was held in the palace’s ballroom, decorated with enormous bouquets and platters of food. Lily and James had argued about the size of the party, but James won after convincing her that scaling down would be insulting to the nobility. Lily had been outraged, but they needed to win the council’s favor. As a compromise, Lily had invited families she knew growing up as a gesture towards a more united kingdom. 

They kicked off the celebration with James and Lily’s first dance. Remus had made Lily spend an unreasonable amount of time practicing, and although she had the steps down, she still felt stiff and unaccustomed to the flow of the music, especially with James. 

“Evans?” 

“Hmm?” Lily hummed, concentrating on the music. 

“You know that day we realized that - we decided we had to get married?”

“Yeah,” Lily said, curious now. 

He grimaced slightly, looking down at his feet. “You remember how I said I couldn’t rule with a wife?”

Lily nearly stopped dancing. Yes, she remembered. Of all their arguments that they had, that was probably the one thing that stuck with her the most. She hadn’t been able to figure out what he’d meant by that. Did he really think less of her because she was a woman? Did he really think she was incapable of ruling or that he would be worse off with her? Leading up to the wedding, that phrase had given her a lot of worry about working with James. It had already been hard enough working together, but once they were married, would it be even harder? Would he constantly resent her and their marriage, even if it was fake?

James was waiting for her to reply, and she quickly nodded. James cleared his throat. “I just wanted to say… I didn’t mean that, and I’m sorry. Our working relationship will still be the same, and that was a really…”

“Misogynistic thing to say?”

He grinned. “Yeah. Misogynistic.”

Lily’s eyes darted from his to look out at the crowd. “It was a heated moment for both of us.”

He cleared his throat again. “Well, it’s not what I actually think and even though we can’t stand each other, I shouldn’t have said it.”

“Thank you for saying that,” Lily said quietly, grateful and surprised that he had remembered his comment from almost three weeks ago. She was glad that he hadn’t meant it, and some of her nerves melted away. Maybe they could get their marriage off to the right start.

They fell uncomfortably silent again, Lily still concentrating deeply on the dance. When the music ended, and they bowed to the politely clapping crowd, Lily spotted her mother and sister, Petunia, standing in the corner. She grabbed James’ arm, pulling them towards them. He had to at least meet her family. 

Lily’s nerves somehow increased as she made her way towards them. “Hi,” Lily said softly, unsure as to how they would receive her. It had been a long time since they had spoken. They both curtsied deeply as they approached, and Lily suddenly couldn’t breathe as she felt the wall that stood between them. She waved her hand. “You don’t have to do that. I’m still Lily.” 

Her mother, a small and slender woman, smiled and pulled her into a hug. Petunia reluctantly did the same, making sure to keep her powdered face away from Lily’s dress. She had insisted that Lily pay for their dresses, and was wearing a deep purple dress with a giant, lacey bow in the back. 

James was standing just behind Lily, trying not to interrupt the family reunion. Lily pulled away from Petunia and gestured for him to come forward. Her mother and sister both started to curtsey again, but James quickly stopped them, instead extending his hand towards her mother. “You must be Ms. Evans. I’m James.” 

Petunia didn’t wait for him to speak before extending her hand. “I’m Petunia. Lily’s older sister.”

James shook their hands, bowing as he did so. Awkward silence fell over the three of them. James cleared his throat, glancing toward Lily. Lily just looked at her mother and ignored his pointed look. It felt like there was a thirty foot wall between her and her family, and she had no clue how to even start. 

“It was a lovely ceremony, Lily,” Her mother said eventually, fidgeting with her purse in front of her. “You looked beautiful. I wish your father could have been here to see you.” 

Lily’s throat closed tightly. “Me too. I’m glad you could make it.”

“It was rather short,” Petunia said. “Vernon and I’s ceremony was almost an hour long. I would have thought marrying the king would have called for something more… extravagant.” She waved her fan, eyes focused solely on James. “Your majesty, you look dashing! I only hope Lily is up to your standards.”

Lily smiled through gritted teeth as James stiffened next to her. She took over quickly. “Thank you for coming. We need to excuse ourselves, but I will talk to you later. Please help yourself to any of the food.” Lily quickly hugged her mother again, then Petunia, whose eyes’ didn’t leave James once. She’d seen that look before - Petunia was already calculating how she could use James to _her_ benefit. Lily tried not to let a stab of anger push through her mind. Getting off balance and out of sorts because of Petunia would not be a good start to the night. She smiled politely, took James’ arm, and led him away. 

Once they were a good distance away, she let out a shaky breath. “That went well.”

He glanced over at her in surprise. “Well? I’ve seen Lord Riddle more excited to meet someone than they were to see you.”

Lily glared at him. But he wasn’t wrong. “It’s a long story. And Petunia’s always been…”

“A suck up?”

Lily grinned. “I was going to say a pig, but that seems more fitting.” James rolled his eyes, grinning. They fell silent, trying to keep smiles on their faces for their guests. “Divide and conquer?” Lily asked. James nodded, and promptly dropped her arm and he went in search of his friends. 

As the night progressed, Lily and James danced together occasionally before separating to sweet talk council members and noblemen. At least, that’s what Lily told James she was doing. She was really talking to people, trying to win them over, but also needed a break from him. She was married and terrified, and currently, that was making it hard for her to look him in the eyes. 

As she made her way toward the drink table after excusing herself from a lengthy conversation about the latest fashion of shoes with Lady Hunt, Lily was stopped by a short noblewoman wearing an incredibly bright purple dress, and holding a drink on one hand. 

“Oh, your majesty!” she called, reaching out with a gloved hand to catch Lily’s arm. Lily turned around, plastering a warm smile on her face. “Congratulations on your wedding, your majesty! It was a lovely ceremony.” 

Lily dipped her head politely. She tried to look her in the eye but her bright dress was making it a little difficult to concentrate. “Thank you. I don’t believe we’ve met.”

She shook her head and the curls piled on top of her head bounced frantically, looking like they were just barely holding on. “No, no, we haven’t! I’m Lady Warren. Lord Warren is my husband, he’s one of the senior council members.” 

Lily nodded again, having a faint recollection of meeting someone with that last name recently. “I believe I’ve met him.”

She laughed loudly, putting an arm on Lily’s again. Lily’s eyebrows raised. She wasn’t sure what was funny about that, and as people glanced over to see what the noise was, she squirmed uncomfortably. Lady Warren stopped laughing abruptly. “You know, your majesty, I’ve known King James since he was little. Oh, he used to love running around the palace. His father used to bring him to the council meetings as soon as he could walk,” she beamed. “My husband always told me King Fleamont, may he rest in peace, loved that boy so much he was spoiled rotten.”

Lily smiled, more genuine this time. She didn’t know much about King Fleamont’s personal life, only that she hadn’t liked his politics. And if she thought about it, James had never mentioned his parents. King Fleamont had passed away a few months ago, and Queen Euphemia had passed away several years ago. James and Lily didn’t talk about their personal lives together, and she doubted that would change even though they were married now. 

“You’ll have your hands full with that one, your majesty,” Lady Warren continued. She dropped to a whisper, pulling Lily a bit closer, her grip firm on her arm. “It surprised us all when he married you. He’s always been expected to marry well, or at least someone, well - pretty, and I wonder what his father and mother would say about you.”

Lily frowned, trying to subtly pull her arm away. “I’m sure -”

Lady Warren laughed loudly again and dropped her arm, acting like she had said something hilarious. “It was nice to meet you, your majesty. Congratulations, and may you have a happy marriage,” Lady Warren said, adjusting the hemline of her bright purple dress. She curtsied deeply, letting her curls tip precariously as she dropped her head, and waltzed past Lily, still holding her drink in her hand. 

Lily’s lips pursed as she walked away. It wasn’t the first comment someone had made like that tonight, and it certainly wouldn’t be the last. Still, while all eyes were watching her, she couldn’t help but feel very, very isolated from the rest of the room. Not that she really cared - she was here to fix things, and if anything, the comments reminded her of why she was here. Before she could get dragged into another conversation, Lily turned on her heel and walked towards the drink table. 

But before she got very far, she was stopped again. Luckily, it was Remus, who was already holding a drink for her. Lily grabbed it and took a big sip. “You’re a godsend, Remus.”

He grinned. “I figured you would need a break. I just saw Lady Warren walk by.”

Lily rolled her eyes, taking another drink. “I’m not pretty enough for James. And, his parents would be disappointed in me.”

Sirius joined the group, holding a drink of his own. James was right behind him. “James was a big enough disappointment for them already, you’re an angel compared to him.” 

Lily smirked at James, who punched Sirius’ shoulder. She handed her now empty glass to a waiter, and held out her hand to Remus. “Dance?”

He grabbed her hand and led her to the dance floor. “Just so you know, I don’t personally care, but sometimes people get angry when the lady asks to dance.”

Lily huffed. That was one more etiquette mistake she had made tonight that she could add to her rapidly growing list. Remus grinned, putting a hand on her waist. He counted quietly, and they were off. “I know it’s stupid, but the newly married Queen Lily can be asked to dance, but she shouldn’t ask someone herself.”

“It’s not like people don’t know that I wasn’t born into this.” Lily eyed Lady Warren over her shoulder. “If I pretend like I’m one of them, I’m going to turn into one of them.”

Remus dipped his head in understanding. “You’ve got a point.” He was quiet for a minute, letting Lily concentrate on her footsteps. It wasn’t long before someone else asked her to dance, and Lily was whisked off into another frustrating conversation. Throughout the rest of the night, Remus, Sirius, and Peter all took turns dancing with her, pulling her away from people they knew would give her a hard time. They knew Lily was tough, and more than capable of handling herself. But they also knew that this wedding wasn’t easy for her, and any distraction they could provide that didn’t involve James, her family, or nobles was a huge relief. 

When the night struck twelve, Lily was ready to drop dead on the floor. Her shoes were killing her, her dress was too tight, and she was starving. After politely excusing herself from a long conversation with Lady Bertram about newborn babies, Lily asked the guards to gently see everyone home.

As the crowd headed out the doors, Lily took advantage of the leftover food, sitting down heavily with a small plate of cake and strawberries, and began overseeing the cleanup process. It was nearly two a.m. when Remus finally approached her, James following loosely behind. 

“Lily, you need to get to bed,” Remus said tiredly, rubbing a hand over his stubble. “We can take care of it from here.”

Lily opened her mouth to protest but realized she wasn’t just tired - it was making a bad impression if she helped clean up after her own wedding. For a second, she considered trying to look for her family, but a quick look around the dwindling crowd confirmed that they were long gone. She hadn’t seen much of them tonight and was secretly grateful Sighing, she thanked Remus, grabbed James’ hand and pulled him into the hallway. 

Lily couldn’t meet his eyes, and James couldn’t seem to stop sneaking glances at her. But she didn’t acknowledge it, and silently followed him to his bedroom, a grand room decorated in red and gold. Despite living in the palace for a month, she’d never been inside James’ personal room. Her room was a guest room a floor below his, and she had never had a reason to visit him here. 

The bedroom wasn’t as formal as she had expected. Instead, it felt comfortable and lived in. She hadn’t really thought about it, but she had just assumed that his room would be like every other room in the palace - polished and covered in tapestries and flowered wallpaper. The room was clean, but several Gryffindor team posters were hung on one side next to a desk, and there was a bookshelf stuffed with all types of books on the opposite wall. The bed stood in the middle, pushed against the wall, and covered in a red and gold comforter. Her meager possessions were lying on one side of the bed, no doubt set out by servants. They looked worn down and misplaced amongst the finery of the room. 

As Lily absorbed her new living situation, James threw his suit jacket into a closet tucked next to the side of a bookshelf. “Evans, I’m -”

“I didn’t -” They both stopped abruptly. James grabbed a pillow and threw it on the couch, tugging on his black tie. “I’ll take the couch.” He didn’t wait for her to respond, kicking off his shoes in the direction of the closet.

Lily brushed by him, grabbing her bag and headed into the bathroom to change, the silence cutting through her like a searing knife. She wasn’t one to dream about her wedding day, but when she did, she never would have imagined it like this. Not so full of nerves or tension. It was bad enough that she was sleeping in the same room with the person she hated, but she had no idea if the marriage was being received well so far - which was the entire purpose of the marriage. 

It didn’t take either of them long to get in bed, and James fell asleep almost instantly. Lily, however, didn’t fall asleep until it was nearly dawn, listening to James’ deep breathing and quiet snores. She tried not to imagine what other nights might be like. They already didn’t get along, so what would happen if they had an argument late at night? Could they keep up appearances enough to show everyone that they were working together? Would they be expected to have a child? A single tear slid down her cheek. Lily didn’t move, letting it slide onto the pillow, feeling the wet streak until it dried off. With James sound asleep, it was almost comforting to know that at least one of them was at peace, at least for the moment. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi, hope you all enjoyed! please leave a comment or check me out on tumblr @jilyss


	4. Chapter 4

The next morning, Lily awoke to see a figure shuffling into the bathroom, hair pointing in every direction. Blearily, she sat up, giving herself a minute to process the events of the last twenty four hours. She tried not to think of the snide comments from the gossiping ladies, James’s cold indifference to her, and least of all, her mother and sister’s words. 

When she heard the shower turn on, she bolted out of bed, forcing her thoughts out of her head. Taking advantage of the privacy, Lily quickly changed and slipped out of the bedroom. She hadn’t paid attention to where they were walking last night, and took three wrong turns on her way to breakfast. By the time she found the dining room, James was waiting outside for her. He grunted as she approached, his hands shoved into his pockets. Lily guessed he wasn’t a morning person. “We should probably go in together.” 

Lily nodded and entered the room wordlessly. As they sat down, Sirius looked like he was bursting with jokes, but Remus kicked him under the table before he could say anything. Lily sent Remus a grateful look, relieved that she didn’t have to endure any post-wedding night jokes from Sirius. She was barely holding on by a string. 

The rest of her morning was filled with taking care of the last of the post-wedding cleanup and chatting with guests who had stayed the night. Most of the guests asked if they would be taking a honeymoon, and each time, Lily had to politely inform them that, no, they would not be going on a honeymoon as they had too much work to do. 

At the beginning of their wedding preparations, Remus had tried to get them to go away for at least a few days, saying something about how it might look bad if they showed up at meetings the next day. Lily and James had agreed at once that would _not_ be happening. Now Lily could sort of understand Remus’ point, as everyone seemed to disapprove slightly of their choice to stay and work. Not that she would ever go on a honeymoon with him. 

At lunch, James and Lily ate in their bedroom to go through the pile of wedding presents, writing thank you cards and sorting through what could be kept and what could be donated.

Now that she was crowned queen, Lily was a council member. That very afternoon, Lily attended her first council meeting, sitting at the head of the table next to James. She didn’t say much at first, trying to get a feel for the room. James and Remus had prepared her as best they could, but Lily still struggled with some of the proceedings. 

Lord Riddle, however, she had no problem understanding. If she didn’t know about his other involvements, she never would have noticed the subtle hints to his hidden agenda in every sentence he spoke. It was like he spoke two languages at the same time - one to his followers, and one to everyone else. 

There were still a few empty seats in the room of council members they hadn’t replaced yet. So far, out of fifty noblemen, they had removed eight and replaced five. They had strategically removed some that they knew were under Lord Riddle’s influence and others that were either lazy or stupid, hopefully to try not alert Lord Riddle to what they knew. They also made sure that they didn’t get rid of those with different perspectives. James and Lily weren’t trying to become dictators, and Lily insisted on replacing council members with a large variety of perspectives and social status. Although the council was clearly not happy with the changes, so far, no one had spoken outright against it to them. 

Even with the changes, almost no progress was made in the meeting. Once Lily felt like she understood the process better, she tried to interject a few times. The council members let her speak, but her comments are dismissed without a second thought. She stayed calm throughout the meeting, instead taking her frustrations out with her nails and the palm of her left hand. 

Late that night, as she wrapped up some of her work in her former bedroom, Remus pulled her into the kitchen and cleaned her hand without saying more than a few words. His presence was calm and reassuring, and Lily allowed herself to relax for a moment.

“Are you okay?”

She merely leaned her head on his shoulder for a minute in response, and then stood up, smiling gently. She was afraid that if she answered, she wouldn’t be able to stop talking. “Get some sleep. You’re looking a little tired.” 

Remus watched as she left, shoulders square as she stepped out of the kitchen. Ever since she had begun making frequent trips to the palace, and especially since she had moved in, Remus and Lily had become good friends. They thought alike, which made it easy to discuss ideas, and he was a good teacher and mentor to her. Still, Lily had yet to show any real emotion or pain - except when she was arguing with James - and Remus couldn’t figure out why. 

Lily returned to the bedroom with her bandaged hand to find James hunched over a pile of papers on his desk, tongue poking between his teeth. She hesitated for a moment, sensing his frustration and not wanting to disturb his work. Grabbing her work, she moved to the couch, wrapping a blanket around her torso. She was still trying to catch up on all of the rules and specific laws that had been mentioned in the council meeting, as well as educate herself on all of the upcoming issues. It seemed that every time she had mastered one concept, she fell behind on half a dozen other things. And for every page she read, she still had to stop to look up half a dozen words, which made for incredibly slow and frustrating progress.

It was already late, and within an hour, the combined warmth of the blankets and the fire forced her eyes shut, and her head fell back against the couch.

When she woke up the next morning, she was lying in bed, with a pale blue nightgown on. As she registered this change groggily, she blushed angrily and shot up, ripping off a blanket from the bed to cover her. James was lying on the couch, both feet hanging off the edge, and hair in disarray. Lily grabbed the closest pillow and chucked it at his head, hitting him dead on. 

“Potter! I can’t believe you had the audacity, you scoundrel - “

He jumped up, and she half registered that he wasn’t wearing a shirt before he began waving his hands frantically, “No, no, Evans, I wouldn’t, I had a maid come and help you, I wasn’t even in the room -”

Lily, still holding a pillow above her head, glared at him for a second before smacking his shoulder with it, purposely keeping her eyes trained on his face, and not on his chest. “I was supposed to sleep on the couch tonight!”

“I’m fine on the couch, and I couldn’t let you lay like that anyways. You’d get a crick in your neck and be even more grouchy than usual.” He rubbed his eyes with one hand, and stretched backwards with the other. 

Lily huffed and threw the pillow on the couch. “We can take turns. I’m shorter anyway, it’ll be more comfortable for me than you with your gangly legs. And put on a damn shirt.”

She half turned away before swinging back around. His smirk was broad across his face, mouth open, a reply ready. Lily jabbed her finger at him. “Don’t even think about saying it.”

He couldn’t resist. “Is this too distracting for you? My _dearest_ wife?”

Lily stuck her middle finger up at him as he chuckled and slid past her to go to the bathroom. She couldn’t help but watch the muscles on his back move as he ran one hand through his tousled hair. But she realized that you could see her reflection in the mirror, and quickly turned away before he noticed. 

Once she heard the water turn on, she groaned and collapsed back onto the bed, curling into the covers. She had only been awake for a few minutes, but she knew it was going to be another long day. Silently, she thought through her day, trying to figure out how to get everything done.

In between council meetings, law drafting, and voting on new council members, Lily spent the next two weeks doing everything she could to keep her head above water. Her limited vocabulary hindered her more and more every day as she tried to speak more often in meetings, give orders, and write law proposals with James. 

Finally one day, she banged her head on her desk, unable to read through a new proposed business tax law because of the jumbled jargon filling the page. 

Walking briskly, she found Remus in his office, with James sitting across from him, discussing the same paper she was holding. Seeing James, she faltered slightly. She had never actually told anyone she hadn’t finished secondary school, even though they probably had guessed by now. Almost everything she had learned so far had been by herself. On top of being embarrassed, she didn’t want anyone to know because she was afraid of being discredited even more than she already was. 

Remus had helped her previously on another document, and she could guess that he would be willing to help again. On the other hand, she wasn’t sure James would be willing to help. He had been a strong advocate for education before, but would he mock her for not knowing anything?

Taking a deep breath, Lily gripped the paper tightly and decided to not say anything about tutoring yet. “Sorry to interrupt, um… if you have a second, I have a few questions.” Remus nodded, pulling over a chair for her. “Can you explain what this is saying?”

Remus and James interpreted her question as her asking for the different arguments instead of what it actually meant. The three of them spent the next hour going over the paper, debating the pros and cons of the revision. Still feeling lost, Lily mostly kept quiet, trying to decipher the words that were flying around her. 

The paper spelled out a revision of the police force, an effort to eliminate corruption that allowed police to enforce laws only when it was convenient for them. Lily had originally suggested the idea and was passionate about it, but had handed the project over to Peter to draft the official revision. By the end, Lily had a better grasp on the revisions made and what their position on it would be, but if someone asked her to explain it, she would have no clue where to start. 

Later that night, Lily sat at the desk in her room, hunched over a letter and using a feeble candle as a light. She cursed as she misspelled yet another word and tossed her pencil down. Yawning, she fumbled for a dictionary under a stack of books and spent five minutes tracking down the correct word before copying it down and continuing on. 

Half an hour later, right as the clock struck eleven o’clock, James walked in the room, one hand in his hair, and holding a stack of papers in the other. He nodded at her and sat down at his desk next to her. Lily nodded back, and went back to her work. Within minutes, she banged her fist again as her pen slipped away from her, creating a ‘y’ with a tail that took up half the page. She clenched her fists tightly, shoving the paper away from her and pulling out a fresh piece. She could feel James’ eyes on her as she groaned, but she ignored him and pulled her dictionary closer. 

“What are you doing?”

Lily looked up, surprised to hear his voice. They usually didn’t speak at night. “Just looking up a few words.”

James held out his hand, throwing the other hand in his hair, and reluctantly, Lily handed him paper she was trying to decipher. Skimming it quickly, he said, “All it’s saying is that the major downfall of limiting rent prices is stifling the economy. Basically, it would exacerbate the problems we already have.”

“Um… exacerbate?”

James handed back the paper, glancing at the dictionary on the desk. “It means to make a situation worse. In this case, it means if we put a ceiling on, or limited rent prices, the economy would suffer. There would probably be a housing shortage too.”

“Oh.” Lily looked down at the paper, feeling out the word under her tongue. Looking up briefly, she said “thanks,” before turning back to her work. 

James didn’t move, one hand still in his hair. “How much schooling have you had?”

Lily kept her head down, not wanting to admit the truth. “Enough.”

“Evans.”

Lily frowned at him as her cheeks turned red. “I was twelve when I dropped out. I didn’t finish secondary school.” James’ eyebrows shot up. Wanting to defend herself, she jumped back in. “But I kept learning on my own afterward, but I… didn’t have any resources or a tutor or anything so…”

He grabbed a stale sandwich from a plate on his desk. “Just let me know if you need any other help alright? We could maybe even get you a tutor so that we can bring you up to speed.”

“No, no tutor,” Lily said quickly. “I don’t want anyone to find out.” James nodded and turned back to his work. Even though she wasn’t usually ashamed of where she came from, education struck a nerve in her, and her lack of it was the main reason she was pushing so hard to provide education to every child in the country. However, if the council members found out how illiterate she really was, on top of her background, she would never be taken seriously. 

As Lily settled back into work, James continued tapping his pencil rapidly on his desk. A few minutes later, he spun back towards her. “What if Remus and I helped you? I’m no tutor, but if we traded off and worked together for a little every day, we could probably make things easier for you and get you up to speed.”

“You think you’d be willing to do that?”

He shrugged, drumming his pen on his desk. “It’s fine, and of course Remus would. And if you keep struggling this much, at some point someone is going to find out. We can do a little together every night. I should have thought about this sooner.”

“Alright,” Lily said, tucking back a strand of wispy red hair. 

“Alright,” James echoed. “I’ll let Remus know tomorrow. You can work with him during lunch.” 

Lily nodded, and turned once more to her work, surprised that James would offer to help. She had planned on asking Remus at some point, but was taken aback that James would give up his time to help her. Although, as he put it, it was embarrassing to be married to someone who didn’t understand the very laws she was helping to make. Even more surprising was that he had apologized for not doing it sooner. 

Two more weeks passed. Although things were very busy, for the most part, Remus and Lily spent their lunch reading aloud and going over new laws, and occasionally, palace etiquette. 

Lily hadn’t had time to leave the palace, but Frank and Gideon had found a way to leave her tiny notes to keep her updated on the Order. Currently, Dumbledore was securing a new headquarters, and as death eater attacks increased, was being extra careful of who he selected to join. While it was still few in numbers, it seemed to be growing rapidly. Lily wished she could help them more. She had promised herself that she wouldn’t grow disconnected from the outside world, and while she was doing her best, finding time to slip away was proving nearly impossible. James and Lily had taken several tours throughout the city together, but the guards made it hard to talk to people, and every time they returned, it felt fruitless.

The nights, however, were rough. James and Lily ate dinner together, and it was usually silent. After they finished, they would separate to work on whatever was demanding their attention. Late at night, they would both return to their bedroom. James spent a few minutes helping her with her spelling and grammar, which usually ended with Lily banging her head in frustration as they bickered back and forth. Still, the short lessons helped Lily immensely, and she began to feel a lot more confident speaking in the council room. Now instead of trying to plead her argument on emotion’s sake, she could do it articulately and with facts to back her up. 

James and Lily still traded off sleeping on the couch, and in the morning made it look like they were sleeping in the same bed. They didn’t want the maids spreading any rumors about the legitimacy of their marriage. As they went to bed, they argued over their next step, what position they were taking on the proposed laws, and who next to get rid of from the council. Rarely did they have the same opinion. Most of the time, James wanted to take his time to make a decision, convinced that if they did it too fast, Riddle would take action. Lily believed that Riddle was already aware of what they were doing, so they needed to do as much as they could before Riddle finally stepped in.

Riddle was becoming increasingly difficult in council meetings, which made Lily think that he was on to them. Recently, Lily and James’ biggest agenda push was trying to require education until the age of fourteen. This meant that first, there needed to be a law against child labor. To feed their family, many parents put their children to work rather than prioritizing education. Lily, however, knew that if they could afford it, parents would put their children in school, and they needed to solve that problem before they could require education. 

A week ago Lily had proposed the Child Worker Act, making it illegal to employ children under the age of fourteen. Although James, Remus and Sirius supported it, tt had been shot down almost immediately by the council members. James and Lily had turned to the people in an effort to get enough support to pressure the council members. So far, few people had been willing to speak out about it. Families were scared about losing the extra income, and afraid of a death eater attack. Lily was beyond frustrated with their progress, but couldn’t blame the people. Even if they supported her, pressuring council members was different, and scary.

“Look, all I’m saying is - our economy will only be affected in the short term. We need to prioritize the long term benefits,” Remus was saying, speaking to the council members seated around the table. “If we outlaw child labor, there is a higher chance they will go to school, which will greatly improve our economy in the long term.”

“The short-term effects will be catastrophic,” Yaxley, one of the senior council members said. “We are wiping out part of our labor force, and what will happen when families no longer have that extra income?”

“That’s where we come in. Adult unemployment rate will decrease because of the jobs now available, helping parents provide for their children better. We will provide assistance to children. If families are worried about feeding their children, we will step in,” Lily said, pointing to the folder in front of her. “We’ve outlined a way to help while the economy recovers. I understand it’s a hit to families, so we found a way to fix it until we can see results.”

“And where will the money come from?” Riddle growled, gripping the edge of the table. “The country is holding onto threads at this point. We don’t have money for that.”

James spoke up now, clearing his throat. He glanced at Lily. This was their first big proposal, and he had to choose his words carefully. “We are planning to reorganize the budget. That is typically done within the first six months of a new ruler, and then once a year after. We are drawing up the plans now.”

“We plan to cut back on our personal and governmental expenses, for one,” Lily said. “And two, think of it as a long term investment that is guaranteed to be successful.”

Lord Riddle slammed his fist on the table. “You do not get to speak, _girl._ You are from the street, and know nothing about our laws.”

Lily’s eyes narrowed dangerously, but James stepped in before she could respond. “Lord Riddle, don’t speak to my wife that way.” Lily started to stand up, but James kicked her under the table, and she stayed sitting. 

Remus stood up now, one hand twitching nervously by his side. “Queen Lily presents a different perspective on this council, one that we wouldn’t get otherwise. Although we disagree on the financial aspect, I hope we can all agree that she has a right to speak so that we can serve our people the best.”

Riddle tried to speak again, hands clasped tightly behind his back, but James spoke quickly, turning the meeting back to the proposal on the table. “As she was saying, Queen Lily and I have outlined a plan to help support families during the transition, and will be presenting a new budget proposal in the coming weeks.”

As the council began discussing the new Act, Lily watched as Riddle sat back in his chair. He seemed to accept that he wasn’t going to be able to argue anymore about Queen Lily, but it didn’t stop him from casting a cold stare in her direction. Lily straightened her shoulders and lifted her chin, turning to look at the current speaker. Despite his power, Lily refused to be intimidated by him. As the meeting progressed, Riddle still disagreed on every point that James and Lily raised, and it still seemed like the council wasn’t willing to make some changes.

Two weeks later, no progress had been made on the new Child Worker Act. Council members who had previously promised their support suddenly refused to speak in meetings, Lily was increasingly ignored, and everyone was getting more and more frustrated. 

After one particularly frustrating meeting, Lily and James walked calmly back to their office, followed by Remus, Sirius, and Peter. As soon as the door shut, James rounded on Lily. “You need to calm down in the meetings. Riddle is getting too suspicious and too powerful.” 

Lily collapsed on a couch, throwing her legs onto Peter’s lap. “You can’t be serious. We need to drop Riddle. Now.” 

“What? Lily, we can’t just...” Remus trailed off. He was sitting in James’ seat, one hand on his head. 

“He’s getting out of control,” Lily muttered. Her frustration was reaching a boiling point, and her control over it was slipping. “How much longer are we going to put up with him?”

“If we get rid of him, he’s still going to be pulling the strings. Do you really think he’d just give up?” James asked Lily directly, looking at her like she was stupid. 

Lily narrowed her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest. “So we’re just going to wait for him to do something? We are always a step behind him - we need to attack and stop hiding!” 

James threw up his hands. “We have no solid evidence that he’s a part of the death eaters. Your little Order group promised us information about him so that we could start taking them out, but so far, nothing’s happened!” Remus stood up next to James, trying to pull him away. James shrugged him off, face red and hot. “I think you never had any information in the first place - you were just trying to get more power.”

Lily shot up from the couch, green eyes blazing. “You think I wanted to get married to you? I’ve told you fifty times - I’m trying to help people!”

“Help ‘people’ or help yourself?” James said bitterly. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but your plan to get rid of council members is failing right now.”

“We need to get rid of Riddle!” Lily shouted. “He’s the one pulling the strings, not us!”

A muscle in James' jaw twitched, and he moved so they were only a foot apart. “Riddle is the most powerful man in the country.”

“It should be you!”

James took a step back, looking at his friends scattered across the room, and waving a hand at her. “Doesn’t she seem a little power hungry?

Lily groaned and threw her face in her hands. Remus exchanged a look with Sirius and Peter. “Actually,” He said slowly. “Maybe she’s right. You’re the king - you are supposed to be the most powerful man. The council helps you, but you make the final decisions. Maybe it’s time we got rid of Riddle.”

“Getting rid of Riddle would cause a full blown war,” James growled. “He is still too strong.”

“Let’s be real - how much is getting rid of council members really helping? He has plenty of other council members to support him, and he’s already corrupting some of the new members! He knows we are trying to undermine him.” James’ face grew redder the longer she spoke, and it pushed her even further. “He’s just digging in harder than ever, and the longer we take, the more prepared he is going to be.”

James jerked away from her. “So we just kick him out of the council? All of the other members we’ve had evidence of something they did wrong so that it doesn’t seem like we are dictators. In case you’ve missed it, we still don’t have _any_ actual evidence against him.”

Lily pinched the bridge of her freckled nose, breathing heavily. “We know it’s him!”

“NO - _you_ know it’s him!” James yelled. “Where is the proof, Evans? The longer this goes on, the more and more I think you have a separate agenda that you’re hiding from us.”

Lily swallowed hard. She had no idea how to respond. “If I haven’t convinced you by now that I’m in this for the right reasons, then I’m not sure you’re ever going to be able to trust your _wife_.”

James blew out his breath angrily, spinning away from her. It was a low blow reminding him that they were married. It definitely wasn’t like they acted like husband and wife. 

“James, I think you’re being a little harsh,” Remus said, crossing his arms. “Lily has done so much for us. People are more supportive of the throne now then they were before, even though the death eater attacks are still increasing.”

“People are dying, Potter,” Lily said quietly, chewing her lip. “The attacks are increasing. If you don’t trust me, fine. And if you won’t get rid of Riddle, you have to at least start tracking down death eaters faster.”

James sat down behind his desk, running a hand through his tousled hair. He glanced at Sirius, who shrugged and said, “I’m with Lily.“

Me too,” Peter added. Remus nodded in agreement. 

James’ shoulders slumped. “We’ll start tomorrow. Maybe this way we can get evidence that Riddle is involved.” He glanced momentarily at Lily, then turned to the work piled on his desk. 

Lily watched him for a minute, her blood still boiling and her cheeks still red. After a second, she walked swiftly out of the room, letting the door swing closed behind her. Once alone in the hallway, she looked left, then right. She had a lot of work to do, but her mind was too scattered to focus on anything right now. Instead of heading to her desk, she stalked off to the kitchen, hoping for something else to occupy her mind for a minute. 

Lily had been in the palace long enough, and in the kitchen often enough that the head cook, Jemma, knew her by name. She fit the role of a head cook - old, stern, and plump. Usually, the kitchen was a flurry of activity as it prepared for the many-course meals demanded by the palace. Today, however, no one was visiting, and there were no special occasions they had to celebrate, and they would be eating a smaller dinner. Lily preferred the quieter days because she always thought that the fancy meals were too expensive and a waste of time. On top of that, she had to entertain stuffy nobles and be a diplomatic queen. She had grown up in the streets, not in a palace, and although she had learned not to show personal emotions from her childhood, it was hard to continue a polite conversation and maintain her mask. 

There were only a few staff in the kitchen when Lily entered, and Jemma almost immediately saw her. She gestured Lily over quickly, plopped her into a chair in the corner, and handed her a slice of buttered bread. “I had a feeling you’d be here today, your majesty.”

“I wish I could eat down here more often.” Lily tucked a stray red hair behind her ear. “I don’t get away enough.”

Jemma raised her eyebrows. “You work too hard. You ever think about taking a break?”

Lily grinned. “No time.”

Jemma opened her mouth to reply, but held up a finger as someone yelled her name elsewhere in the kitchen. Lily devoured the slice of bread, then quickly cut herself another piece before Jemma could return. When she finally did, Lily was on her third slice. “Any new gossip for you to tell me, Jemma? How’s Caroline’s baby?”

“Good, good, honey. Recovered alright from the flu, thank goodness, your majesty,” Jemma said. She sat down in a chair next to Lily and began shucking corn. 

“Please, don’t call me that,” Lily said, mouth stuffed with bread. “I’m nothing special.”

Jemma nodded politely, and they fell into a quiet silence. Lily finished her bread, staring out at the kitchen for a moment. “How are you doing today, your majesty?” Jemma asked quietly. 

Lily sent her a quick look and shrugged. “Things are going well. We found a new replacement for Council -”

“- no, honey, I mean, how are you really doing?” Jemma sent her a piercing look over her crooked glasses. She seemed to know something was off. 

Lily’s mask slipped for a fraction of a second, her eyes faltering, but it was enough for Jemma to understand. “Oh, honey,” she said, reaching out with an aged hand and patting her leg softly. Lily kept her face calm, but focused on the hand on her knee. If she looked anywhere else right now, she might lose it. “You are working yourself so hard, and I know it might not be much success right now, but people are starting to appreciate it.”

Lily turned her head, somewhat surprised. Jemma didn’t usually talk politics, preferring to keep it out of her kitchen. But she was in the palace constantly, and must have a fairly good idea of what was going on. It was one of the reasons Lily liked going to the kitchen - Jemma usually knew the noble’s preferences and interests, which gave Lily easy conversation starters and ideas on what to pick at during council meetings. Still, Jemma never spoke about anything more than gossip. 

Jemma didn’t look at her, continuing to shuck the corn. “My sister, you remember her? The one that works at a bakery?” Lily nodded. “I saw her the other day. She’s real happy with your child education laws. She said she ain’t never had a choice to send her kids to school, and you might be able to give them a better life.” Jemma used her thumb and forefinger to gently lift Lily’s chin. “I know it ain’t gone through yet, but she’s mighty pleased you’re trying, your majesty.”

A pleased smile broke across Lily’s face, her emotions escaping her again. Remus had mentioned that people were becoming more supportive of the royal family, but she hadn’t really believed it. But Jemma had a point - people were starting to support them. Maybe they could back them up. Lily stood up, brushing the crumbs from her lap quickly. “Thank you Jemma. You helped me more than you know!” And with that, Lily ran off, plunging right back into her work. 

A few minutes later, Lily burst into James’ office, excited to share her new idea. He was standing on one side of the room, looking at a portrait on the wall. He turned and instantly glared at her. “What?”

Lily frowned, putting her hands on her hips. “Are you going to have a bad attitude or are you going to listen to what I have to say?”

James plastered a huge, sarcastic smile across his face and gestured towards a chair, moving to sit across from her. Lily smiled sarcastically back and launched into her idea. “You know how Remus was saying that people are becoming more supportive? We need to use that to our advantage.” 

James grabbed a sandwich from his desk and took a huge bite. Lily continued. “We decided we were going to start pursuing the death eaters even more, right?” He took another bite, and Lily had to push down her annoyance. “So, we need to spin it to the public in a way that’s positive. Instead of us putting down the death eaters because it’s threatening us, personally, we need to show we’re doing it because we care about the people. This way, we can get more support to back us in the council.”

James took another bite, and Lily threw up her hands. “Did you even listen?”

He shot her a glare. “Yes. It’s a good idea.”

“That’s it?”

“What more do you want me to say? The press has been hounding us lately, and this is a good way to spin it. We should have been doing this a long time ago. I’ll have Remus draw up a plan.” James ran a hand over his jaw, took another bite of his sandwich, and returned to his work. Lily knew he was still angry about their argument from earlier, and knew when she was being dismissed. Still, he had agreed with her plan, and that was all that she could ask for.

James never came back to the room that night. He’d obviously been there just before Lily had returned, with his stuff scattered about and a stack of work waiting for him at his desk. She hardly noticed at first, enjoying the peace and quiet as she continued with her work. It wasn’t until she glanced at the clock and realized it was one o’clock in the morning that she frowned. It wasn’t like him to be up this late. She was half tempted to ask a guard where he was, but after their argument today, it’s not like she wanted to be around him anyway, so she decided against it. 

The next morning, Lily looked over at the couch, expecting to see him, dead asleep and shirtless, as usual. But it was empty. But today was set up to be an extremely busy day, and she didn’t have much time to think about it. Once she was dressed, she grabbed her work off her desk and headed down for breakfast. 

James was already there, laughing at something with Peter and Sirius. Lily murmured a ‘good morning’, and sat down next to him. He didn’t look at her. Lily pretended not to notice, head bent over a letter from Lord Meadows. 

James seemed in an unusually good mood that morning. Normally, she wouldn’t notice, but he was never in a good mood at breakfast, and him not coming back last night seemed a little suspicious. But before Lily let that thought get too far, she shook her head and focused back on the letters in front of her. 

A few minutes later, Remus stormed in, waving a newspaper. Lily looked up from her work. Just looking at Remus’ face, she knew this would not be good. Remus slammed the paper down in front of James and Lily, jamming his finger at the headline. _Death Eater Attack Kills 23._

Lily sat back in her chair. James picked up the paper and quickly skimmed it. “It says that late last night, the death eaters burned a clothing factory. Twenty-three people working an overnight shift died in the fire, and the factory is ruined.” He looked up. “Two thousand people work there.”

“Two thousand people lost their jobs,” Peter murmured. Lily felt sick. Twenty-three people lost their lives, and twenty-three families lost someone. She clenched her fists tightly in her lap.

Remus sat down, taking the newspaper back. “We already decided we are going to do something about them. We need to start today.” 

They all canceled their morning meetings, and the rest of the morning was spent discussing the death eater problem. They’d already decided that they were going to start taking a more active role in fighting the death eaters, but trying to do it in a way where the council and the people supported it was a tricky balance. By the time they got a plan together, it was nearly lunch time. Lily decided it was best to just stay in the dining room and finish the work she had brought with her instead of wasting time moving to another room. Everyone cleared out, leaving her alone with James. 

She ignored him, chewing on the end of her pen as she looked over her stack of letters. He just sat there, and she could feel his eyes on her for several minutes. Finally, she dropped her pen and looked at him. “What?”

“Sorry I didn’t come back last night.”

Lily’s brow furrowed slightly, and he smirked slightly at her surprise. She shrugged, turning back to her work. “I don’t really care what you do.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

She turned back to him. He was leaning back in his chair, hands interlocked behind his head. “I know we’re married, but I know it’s not what either of us wanted, so if you want to meet with other people -”

“Evans,” he said quickly, leaning forward. “I know it’s not what we wanted, but I am not going to cheat on you, alright? Marriage is… marriage.”

Lily shrugged again, turning back to her work once more. Obviously the thought of him cheating irked her, but it didn’t really matter in the grand scheme of things. They weren’t in love, and she could hardly consider what they were a real relationship. 

James sighed, getting up from the table. “I fell asleep in the library last night. I wouldn’t - I’m not a cheater, Evans.”

He left before she could say anything, which was probably for the best. She didn’t know what to say, anyway. She was surprised more than anything. It seemed like in the past he was the type to do so because even she could grudgingly admit he was attractive, and it wasn’t like the younger noblewomen tried to hide the fact that they were flirting with him, even after the wedding. Not that she would ever admit it, but their blatant flirting bothered her ever so slightly. But she couldn’t exactly waltz over to him and pull him away from them, especially when she made it clear that she wasn’t his biggest fan. So if he wanted to flirt back, who was she to stop him?

Within a few days, it became clear that weeding out the death eaters was going to be even harder than they realized. They created a special task force, headed by Remus, to focus solely on the death eaters. Already, those on the force had received death threats, and three of them had resigned. Remus reported that any information they had was sketchy at best, and since they attacked randomly, it was hard to pinpoint where they would strike next. 

The five of them were sitting in James’ office, late one night, each frustrated over their progress. At some point, Lily spaced off, thinking about the most recent attack at the clothing factory. Two thousand people losing their jobs may not seem like a lot compared to the overall population, but that meant two thousand families had lost a major source of income. Not only did the loss of life bother her, but those families would probably feel the long term effects for months.

Lily flinched as James flicked a pen at her. “Evans? Were you even listening?”

She blinked rapidly. “Uh, yes?”

Remus sighed, pacing around the room. “I was just saying how I think we should ask for the Order’s help.”

“The Order?” Lily shifted in her seat. “They want to stay private. If we get anymore involved with them, it’ll blow their cover.”

“We just want information. They seem to have a lot more reliable information than we do. But we have the resources for stopping the attacks.”

Lily nodded slowly, starting to see what they were saying. She had been receiving occasional updates in notes from Gideon and Frank, but those were so infrequent that it was often outdated information. Having a more open communication line would help them immensely. “I can’t sneak out often enough for that. But if I could get one of them in here…” she trailed off slowly, trying to think of possible candidates. “I’ll head over right now.”

“Right now? Evans, you can’t be serious -” James said.

“Relax, I’ve done it before.” But that was the wrong thing to say. James’ eyebrows raised. Sirius, Peter, and Remus all slowly backed away, sensing the oncoming fight. 

“You’ve snuck out before?”

Lily stood up, crossing her arms. “Yeah.”

James mirrored her body language. “And when were you going to tell me this?”

“You’re not in charge of me.”

He laughed. “I’m the king, Evans, and you can’t just go outside without a guard.”

“King? Can I just remind you that I’m the queen too?” She took a step closer to him. “I’ve lived on the streets for years, I _think_ I know how to handle myself at night.”

He thrust a hand in his hair. “You’re the queen - what if someone recognizes you?”

“Then do you really think a guard is going to stop them?”

“It’ll make you look less suspicious, at least,” James said. Lily blew out her breath. He had a point. It really wouldn’t make much difference to her. 

“Alright, I’ll take a guard,” she said quietly. James nodded, taking a small step back. The other three were quiet, watching the surprising peaceful end to the argument. Lily hurried out of the room. It was already late, but time was not on their side. The sooner they got this done, the better. 

In a few minutes, she had slipped into a maid’s uniform and found a guard to accompany her, someone she had seen guarding outside of her and James’ room occasionally. As they slipped out of the palace, they chatted quietly. His name was Emmett, and he had grown up a few streets from Lily. 

When they got nearer to Gideon’s apartment, Lily bit her lip distractedly. She’d promised James that she would take a guard, but neither of them had really thought it through. The Order was a secret, and Gideon’s apartment was sometimes used as a safehouse. Emmett couldn’t be trusted, and she doubted he would just let her walk the last few blocks alone, which meant she’d have to give him the slip. James was not going to be happy, but Lily didn’t really see another option. She’d deal with that problem later. 

Walking slowly, she let herself fall a few steps behind Emmet. She waited until they were just rounding a tight corner to flip around his back and jog quietly down the street they had just come from. She could still hear his footsteps walking away from her, but as soon as she heard him pause, realizing she was gone, she took off in a dead sprint. Lily was smaller and faster than Emmett, and it only took her several turns down alleyways to lose him completely. By the time she was sure that he was gone, Lily was nearly at Gideon’s.

The door opened and a sleepy Gideon poked his head out. He stared at her for a second, and Lily could see him holding a gun just behind the door. When he saw that it was her, he stepped back and wordlessly let her inside. 

“What are you… it’s two o’clock in the bloody morning, Evans, this better be important.” Gideon rubbed his eyes. Lily patted him none too gently on his cheek, grinning and stepping inside. 

“Is Frank here? I have something I want to run by you guys.”

Gideon shifted towards the door as Frank, followed by someone else, entered the room. Lily’s brow furrowed, heart suddenly pounding as a tall girl entered the room behind Frank. Could it be Alice? Had they found her? But the room was too dark to tell, and Lily didn’t remember her being this tall. Gideon struck a match, and Lily gasped. 

To her surprise, it was Emmeline Vance, a tall, confident woman with deep brown skin. Lily ran forward, catching her in a big hug. 

“It’s so good to see you!” Emmeline squealed, wrapping her arms tightly around Lily. 

Lily immediately began firing questions at her. “You made it out safely? What happened to you? The last time I saw you, you were leaving to infiltrate the death eaters.”

Emmeline started laughing, pulling out of the hug. “I wasn’t very successful. I left right after you and Dumbledore decided to try to negotiate with King James - I mean, uh... your majesty.” She frowned at Lily. “Am I supposed to call you Queen Lily now?” 

Lily frantically shook her head. “If someone calls me that again I might lose my mind.” Frank snorted behind them. 

Emmeline grinned. “Good, I wasn’t going to. Anyways, I had a contact who could get me a job at Riddle’s estates. I stopped all contact with anyone at the Order, and lived in the servant’s quarters. I thought I could weasel my way into housekeeping services and get access to his room or office. I was assigned kitchen work.” She wrinkled her nose. “I didn’t learn anything for weeks, but I did hear rumors of Alice.”

Lily’s breath hitched. Frank’s head dropped. “I didn’t hear anything good - just that she was stuck in the basement. Only the guards saw her, and they all refused to talk about it. I’m not even sure it’s her.” Lily absorbed this new information. If it really was Alice, was she ok? What was Riddle doing to her?

Emmeline continued, talking a mile a minute. “A few days ago, Dumbledore made contact with me and pulled me out. Our resources are pretty stretched right now, and I wasn’t very successful.” She sighed. “Maybe someone else can get a better angle.” 

Lily reached out to squeeze Emmeline’s hand. “It’s really good to see you.” Emmeline squeezed her hand back, and the room fell into a comfortable silence. Frank cleared his throat. “Evans, you said you had something to talk to us about?” 

Lily clapped her hands together, and moved to the table. She quickly mentioned the recent death eater attack, Riddle’s increasingly dangerous behavior, and the council members. Once she explained what was happening at the palace, she dove into the real reason she was here. “James and I can’t agree - we don’t think it’s best -” she stopped and pinched the bridge of her nose. “That’s besides the point. We decided that we want to take a much more active role in getting rid of the death eaters. They’re rooted deep in the government, and they’re using fear as their weapon. To start with, we’ve created a task force specifically focused on arresting and uncovering them.”

Gideon watched her carefully. “So why did you come to us?”

“We have the resources needed to do it, but we don’t have the access to reliable information the Order has. Emmeline said it herself - you’re running low on resources.”

Gideon frowned. “She wasn’t talking about overall. Emmeline has been with the Order for a long time. I don’t think it’s unreasonable for Dumbledore to pull her out because she could be better used elsewhere.”

Lily mentally cursed. This wasn’t going to be as easy as she thought. “Haven’t you guys been regrouping since the inn attack? I know that was a major blow to us.”

“I’m not sure Dumbledore is going to be ready to trust the king and his government,” Frank added. 

“- _my_ government too, now,” Lily interjected.

He nodded his head slightly towards her. “- either way, adding a huge amount of resources to something will draw attention to it. We’re already worried about a spy among us. After the inn attack…” He trailed off, but Lily gathered his meaning. It wasn’t wise to trust a lot of different people with sensitive information. One spy had already hurt the Order in a major way. Dumbledore didn’t want to trust an outside group if it meant putting the entire operation at risk. 

Lily proposed her solution, something she had been thinking about since she’d left the palace earlier that night. It also helped that Emmeline had returned. “So we keep one contact. Dumbledore still trusts me. If I can get someone close to me, in the palace, to get reliable information, I can pass it on, with the resources to actually do something about it.”

“You have someone in mind?” Emmeline said slowly, a slight smile pulling at her lips.

“Before I knew you were back, I couldn’t think of anyone I could trust more than you two,” Lily said, nodding at Gideon and Frank. “But I wouldn’t be able to talk to you as often as I need. You wouldn’t be allowed into our meetings, or our bedroom.”

Frank waggled his eyebrows at Lily’s mention of ‘our’ bedroom. Lily rolled her eyes, but turned to Emmeline. “Do you want to come work at the palace? I could easily get a maid into our room.”

Emmeline broke into a huge grin. “Yes! Are you kidding?”

“I have to warn you, it’s going to be dangerous, and Potter and I fight pretty much nonstop, and you’ll have to do chores because it can’t be suspicious, but…” Lily stopped talking as Emmeline jumped up excitedly, already making plans. 

“Hold on Emmeline. Dumbledore has to agree to this first,” Gideon said, crossing his arms. Emmeline rolled her eyes, sitting back in her chair. Gideon glanced at Lily. “I’ll talk to Dumbledore this morning.”

Lily nodded, fingers drumming on the table. That was the most she could ask for. “Em, if he agrees, come to the west gates at four o’clock. I’ll have someone waiting for you.” She stood up and pulled Emmeline into a hug. “It’s really good to see you.”

She stayed a little while longer, updating Emmeline on everything that had happened while she had been gone. She listened to her stories, and Gideon and Frank’s teasing. It was good to be back with them. When she finally excused herself, it was almost two hours later. Her walk back to the palace was quiet, although she kept her head down and avoided the bright street lights. She entered through the servant's passage yawning, letting herself relax now that she was safely inside. 

When she neared the bedroom, she was surprised to see light pooling out from under the door. She swung the door open softly, hoping that James was asleep, but it was no use. James, standing near the balcony, whipped around as she walked inside. 

“Where have you been?” His voice was cold. 

Lily didn’t answer, instead kicking her shoes towards the closet. He knew where she had been, and she didn’t feel the need to remind him. 

“Evans.”

She spun around, hands on her hips. “I told you where I was going.”

“You left your guard.”

Lily pulled her jacket off and tossed it on the couch. It was her night to sleep on the couch, and was so exhausted she didn’t have the energy to change. “I couldn’t exactly let him hear our conversation, could I?”

He was silent for a minute. “We almost woke all the guards to look for you.” Lily merely huffed in response. “We were worried.” 

Lily glanced at him, mouth parted in surprise. She met his eyes, but he quickly looked away. Clearly, he was out of his comfort zone with her. Shrugging her shoulders, she grabbed a pillow from the bed and plumped it. “I told you, I know how to handle myself. Don’t… don’t blame Emmett, alright?”

He laughed slightly, but it was forced and seemed to strain in his throat. “If you put your mind to anything Evans, you’ll get it done. Just… next time go with someone we trust, yeah? Sirius, Remus, Peter…” he hesitated. “Or me.”

Lily rubbed her eyes. It was too late to argue or sort through his odd statements. “Yeah, ok,” she muttered, collapsing on the couch. James tossed a blanket at her, hitting her squarely in the face. Normally, she would have protested, but her eyes drifted shut, and she fell asleep almost instantly. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> find me on tumblr @jilyss


	5. Chapter 5

James woke her up the next morning as he banged around in the bathroom. Groggily, she realized he was probably still mad at her, but she decided that was nothing unusual and promptly ignored him. Within a few minutes, she changed out of her old clothes and into a fresh pair of pants and jacket, tamed her frizzy hair, and washed her face. James didn’t say anything to her until the five of them were alone at the breakfast table. 

Quickly, Lily reported how the meeting had gone. Since they wouldn’t know what the Order’s decision about Emmeline was until later that afternoon, they tabled that discussion in favor of catching up on their other work. Lily was tempted to go back to bed, but James had been up late too, and he went to his office wordlessly. Besides that, she had a huge pile of work stacking up, and a council meeting to prepare for, so she needed to be productive. 

She worked steadily in her office until the council meeting, which was as frustrating as ever. It wasn’t anything unusual - she dealt with the typical side comments about her gender, emotions, and background. James, who usually defended her, seemed even less inclined today to help after last night’s argument. By the time the meeting was finished, Lily had a pounding headache. She excused herself from the others and headed towards her office, pulling out her to-do list from her stack of papers. 

Lily swung her office door open to find Emmeline sitting at a chair from across her desk. She clapped a hand over her mouth, throwing her papers haphazardly onto the couch. Lily turned and stuck her head back out the door. Spotting a passing maid, she yelled “Could you grab James and the others for me?”, and then shut the door tightly. 

Emmeline pulled her into a hug, answering her questions before Lily could even ask. “Yes! Dumbledore agreed. I’ll do whatever you need me to do here, but I’ll live back at Gideon’s. He’ll bring the information, and I’ll pass it on to you.”

Lily grinned, moving back to pick up her papers. “Potter has been trying to make me get a personal assistant. It would speed things up if I didn’t have to personally deliver letters to the council member’s offices and worry about my schedule. If anyone asks, you’ve worked as an assistant for Dr. Pembrooke for three years, so you have the experience to be here.”

“Dr. Pembrooke? Isn’t he the -”

The door swung open and Remus walked in, cutting Emmeline off. “It’s almost five, did she -” He stopped once he saw Emmeline and stuck out his hand. “I’m Remus Lupin. You must be Emmeline.” James now entered, holding a sandwich in one hand, and using his other hand to ruffle his hair. Sirius and Peter followed him. 

Introductions were quickly made, and then Emmeline filled them in on Dumbledore’s decision. “He also wanted me to start off by saying that this connection cannot leave this room. The Order lives in the shadows and is just a rumor. He’s glad for the resources, but is not willing to take the risk if this you can’t be trusted.” She looked carefully at all of them. Each of them nodded, understanding the risks associated with Emmeline feeding them information. “It will probably raise suspicion if I meet with all of you every time, so for the most part, I’ll talk to Lily.” 

Once Emmeline was sure that everyone understood, she cleared her throat. “The info we get… can be random. We have ears in a lot of places, but from what we can tell, the death eaters have no pattern and plan attacks only a few days in advance. The council members we believe to be death eaters get orders from a higher source. We suspect that it’s Lord Riddle, but we haven’t been able to gather hard evidence of that yet.”

“Do you have anything for us now?” Sirius asked. 

Emmeline shook her head. “Nothing new since the last attack.” They were quiet for a minute, all a little disappointed that there was nothing they could get started on. The last death eater attack weighed heavily on their minds. Lily rubbed her hands together and stood up. “I’ll keep you updated whenever she tells me anything. But if we don’t have anything to get started on, we’ll just keep sending out our feeders and try to sort through the info we get.”

They all nodded in agreement. James collapsed on the couch, one hand in his hair, before getting pulled into a conversation with Peter, while Sirius took Lily’s seat behind her desk and put his feet up. Lily sent him a half hearted glare before turning to Emmeline. “I’ll give you a full tour tomorrow, I’m a little behind today.” She glanced down at her to-do list, then at her watch. “Potter! We have dinner with the Dashwoods in thirty minutes.”

“Again? Did you invite them?” James groaned, sliding further down on the couch. “Last time we had them here for dinner, you were in a bad mood for a week because she asked when you were going to start popping out babies.”

Sirius snorted behind her, and Emmeline hid a smirk behind her hand. Lily glared at James. “We’re trying to make a good impression. They have -”

“- a lot of connections that we need. Yeah yeah, I know,” he said. He stood up and tugged on his shirt. “I’ll see you in a bit.”

In a few minutes, the rest of the boys filed out of the office. On a normal day, they all ate dinner together and talked about things other than politics. It was much needed after a long day, and helped them relax for a few minutes. But more often than not, James and Lily were pulled away to attend state functions, charity benefits, and formal dinners with council members. Lily was always stressed on those days. It was hard enough to remember names, talking points she needed to hit, and it didn’t help that James charmed practically everyone within a few minutes. She always seemed to have a much harder time getting a comfortable conversation going. 

“He was nice,” Emmeline said once they were alone. 

“Which one?” Lily said tiredly, checking her watch again. She only had a few minutes to change into something more proper for dinner. She grabbed a few things to read over later that night and started heading out the door. 

Emmeline followed her, laughing. “You know which one I mean. Gideon and Frank made him seem like you absolutely hated him. I was only gone a few months, and somehow, you got married?”

Lily smiled, trying to let some of her tension roll off her shoulders. “I wasn’t exactly expecting it either.”

“Do you actually hate him?”

Lily rubbed her forehead. “I complain about him a lot, but I don’t hate him. We just argue - a lot. It’s hard mostly because we’re expected to be this perfect image of king and queen. People don’t expect us to be romantic, but…”

“You can’t disagree publically.”

Lily turned a corner. “Yeah, and people hold me to a different standard. Anything I do well, people just assume it’s because I’m married to him, and not because I’m capable.” They arrived at the room, and Lily quickly introduced the guards to Emmeline before pulling her inside. She dropped her stuff off on her desk and moved to the closet. 

“Did Dumbledore say anything else?”

“No, but he seemed grateful for the help if anything. After the attack at the inn, we’ve been stretched. People were dropping out left and right, and we haven’t had any huge successes since.”

Lily stepped behind the changing screen and pulled on the formal dress her maids had set out for the evening. “Well, hopefully, we can start getting more stuff down with your help.” She stepped out of the screen and turned around so that Emmeline could button her up. 

Lily checked her watch again before unclasping it and setting it on the table. She had five minutes until she needed to be downstairs and still needed to go over the list of things they had wanted to talk with the Dashwood’s about so that it was fresh in her mind. Sighing, she turned to rummage through her papers. 

Emmeline cleared her throat quietly behind her. “How are you doing, Lily? Like - really doing? I know I’m your personal assistant, but… I’m also your friend.”

Lily paused. She had avoided even asking herself that question for what felt like months. If she really thought about it, Lily had been working so hard the last few months not only because she was passionate about what she was doing, but because she was alone. Sirius, Remus, and Peter were great friends, but she was isolated from everyone else in the castle. James wasn’t much help either and learning how to navigate nobles and palace life had forced her to change so many things about herself that sometimes, she felt like she was forgetting where she had come from.

Emmeline asking her that question reminded her just how much had changed since she’d last seen her, and Lily didn’t even know where to begin. It would probably be healthy for her to talk about it, but Lily feared she wouldn’t be able to stop talking, and decided to not say anything. 

Lily pulled out the paper she was looking for, shrugging. “I’m doing okay. It was a late night last night, and things have been a little tense around here lately.” She glanced at her reflection in her mirror, debating whether or not she should call her maid to help her look a little bit more presentable. Deciding she didn’t have time, she grabbed a pair of shoes from her closet and looked down at her paper once more.

“Lily? You know I’m here if you need to talk, right? You don’t have to hold everything up yourself, you know.”

Lily glanced up at her, nodding quickly and smiling. She appreciated what Emmeline was trying to do, but Lily mentally couldn’t handle it at the moment. “Yes, thank you, Em. I’m just a little tired today. This dinner is going to take a while, so I’ll give you a tour first thing tomorrow, okay? And tell Gideon and Dumbledore thank you, again.”

Emmeline pulled her into a quick hug, then followed her out the door and waved goodbye as she walked towards the servant’s passages. Lily turned left, heading towards the formal dining room. 

When Lily woke up the next morning, it took her longer than normal to roll out of bed. Last night, Emmeline’s simple question had been on her mind the entire night. She had seemed genuinely concerned about her, and Lily had to convince herself that she was fine, and was determined to not let any weakness show to anyone - even Emmeline. 

Luckily, dinner had gone smoother than last time, although James was still cold towards her. She hadn’t thought it was noticeable to their guests, however, and she certainly didn’t fault him for being distant. She felt the exact same way towards him, with no intention of bridging the gap anytime soon. Lady Dashwood also hadn’t mentioned anything about babies, and afterward, Lily had stayed up late again, finally starting to catch up on some of her work. 

A few hours later, Lily was in the council room, listening to Crowley, a more senior council member, drone on about his tax proposals. Lily felt a tension in the room that usually wasn’t there, but couldn’t place a finger on it. 

Lily glanced slightly to her left at Yaxley, a younger council member sitting a few seats away. He was resting one hand on a gun tucked into a holster. She could feel his eyes watching her, so as best as she could she tried to return her eyes to Riddle, pretending she hadn’t seen anything. Yaxley could just be angry with her, or trying to intimidate her. Slowly, she looked around the room. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. But something else still felt off. 

She let her eyes wander around the room, feigning disinterest in the current conversation. Then she noticed something odd. About half the guards had black bandanas tied around their left arm. All of them were watching Riddle carefully. Heart pounding rapidly, she slipped her hand under the table and slowly rested it on James’ lap. His leg jumped at her hand and he shot her a quick glance. Lily ignored him, still feeling Yaxley’s eyes on her. 

Lily poked his leg, and in a few seconds, James had caught on. His hand squeezed hers briefly before settling on the table. Lily slowly brought her hand back to her lap, suddenly feeling like the room was a hundred degrees too hot. 

There was a soft click to her left, and before she could identify it, the room erupted into chaos.

Yaxley leapt out of his chair, pointing the gun squarely at Lily’s head. James shoved Lily, sending her off her chair and into Remus’ lap. Gunshots went off in the room as the guards reacted. Lily dove under the table, grabbing Remus’ arm and pulling him with her. 

“Do you have a gun?” Lily shouted. Remus shook his head, pointing behind him at James, who had ducked under the table holding a pistol. 

“I don’t have a lot of shots,” James yelled. Lily nodded, turning back to Remus when Yaxley ducked under the table, aiming directly at Lily. Lily dropped to her stomach, and James shot over her head before Yaxley could fire. The shot missed as he rolled, giving Lily the opportunity to kick the gun out of his hand. Yaxley swung his leg, hitting her squarely in the chest. Lily fell back, hitting her head on a table leg as Remus scrambled for the loose gun. Yaxley, now without a weapon, swung again at Lily, this time hitting her squarely in the nose. James shouted something unintelligible at Lily, but she got what he meant. She shifted quickly to her right, and James shot again, hitting Yaxley in the chest. He fell back, and Lily scrambled to get away. 

Lily turned back to James, eyes wide. He crawled past her, firing as another guard aimed at them under the table. Remus gripped Lily’s shoulder, shaking her out of her shock. “C’mon.”

The three made their way to the edge of the large table, with James and Remus both shooting at any unfriendly faces that appeared under the table. The door was now just a few feet away, but there were bodies on the floor and bullets still flying around in the air. Lily grabbed a gun from a dead guard, took a deep breath, and ran for the door. 

James was yelling behind her, trying to get her to come back, but she was too exposed to turn around. Lily jumped over an overturned chair, fired at a guard with a black bandana, and yanked open the door. She turned back to see James and Remus gaping at her. It seemed like no one had noticed she wasn’t dead.

“Get up,” she gestured. “I’ll cover.” Quickly, they scrambled after her, and Lily did her best to shoot at anyone that seemed unfriendly. As they ran, she looked for Sirius, hoping that he had gotten out, or for Riddle - this would be the perfect opportunity to put a bullet in his brain. But she didn’t have enough time, James and Remus reached her in seconds, and they dove out the door. 

No one was waiting outside the council room, and so far, no one had noticed they had escaped. James grabbed Lily’s arm and bolted down the hallway. Lily followed, breathing hard. 

“We need to split up,” Remus yelled as they rounded a corner. “Split up, and get out.”

Lily glanced over her shoulder. “Where’s Sirius? And Peter?”

“They’ll be fine,” James said, still running hard. Lily skidded around a corner, running directly into a patrol of guards with black bandanas. For a second, everyone stood still. 

James was the first to react, firing at the nearest guard. Lily turned back, pulling James with her as the guards jumped into action. James followed her to the left, while Remus ran to the right. 

Once around a corner, Lily took a second to think. They were in the east wing, close to the kitchens, which didn’t give them a lot of options. She flinched as there was a loud pop from the guards shooting down the hallway. Carefully, she stuck her gun out and shot three times in a row, taking down, or at least hitting two guards. James, tucked into the wall right next to her, cursed. “I’m out,” he said, letting the empty gun magazine fall to the floor. Lily knew she was low too but didn’t have time to check as she fired once again at the incoming guards. There was now one guard left, with more not far off, and they were running out of options. 

“Evans, we need to go!” James said. “We’re going to get pinned down right here. If we can get to the stables -”

“No!” Lily shouted. She fired one last shot around the corner, turned, and sprinted down the hallway. There was a cry of pain behind her, and she knew that for now, there were no more guards following them. She could hear James curse her out behind her, but now that she knew where they were, she knew how they could get out of the palace. In a few seconds, they were in the kitchen. 

Lily skidded to a stop so fast that James ran into her. In front of her, the kitchen maids were huddled together, watching her with wide eyes. James pushed her further in the door and shut it quietly behind them. “Evans, what are we doing here?” he said. No one moved. Lily actually hadn’t thought this part through and scanned the room frantically. She had forgotten about the palace staff. 

“Your majesty?” Jemma, the head cook, stepped cautiously forward. Lily snapped back to attention, her breath coming in ragged gasps. “Jemma. We need your help. Can… can we take the servant’s passage?”

Jemma didn’t move. Lily couldn’t blame her. She was in shock - everyone was. James gripped Lily’s arm tightly. In the distance, they could hear a yell for help and more gunshots. Time was running out. “Jemma,” Lily repeated. “Please.”

Jemma jumped into action, quickly gesturing to a small door hidden next to a large oven. “We will stall as long as we can, your majesty.”

Lily grabbed Jemma’s hand, squeezing it quickly. “Thank you,” she said. James wrenched open the door, grabbing a torch from the wall, and nodded quickly at the rest of the staff before plunging into the dark tunnel. The door closed tightly behind them, and Lily and James began running again. 

It was a few long, heavy minutes before they reached another door. Even if they had the lung capacity, neither could saying anything comprehensible about what had just happened. “What’s the plan, Evans?”

Lily shrugged. “I have no idea. I’ve never been this way, I just knew it was here.”

James whipped around. “You’ve never been this way?” 

Lily frowned. “No, I just spend a lot of time in the kitchens. You didn’t know this was here?” 

“I know a lot of secret passageways in the palace, alright Evans?” James spat.

“We don’t have time to argue, Potter.” She pushed him aside and cracked the door open. Bright sunlight crept in, and Lily could see that they were just outside the palace walls. The problem was, there were a half a dozen guards, all with black bandanas, standing only a few feet away from the secret door. “Shit,” she whispered. James nudged her out of the way, peering outside. Lily checked the magazine of her pistol.

“Four rounds left,” she muttered. She handed the gun to James. “You’re the better shot.” 

“So, we take out as many as we can, then run like hell?” James whispered, eyeing the group of guards.

“Yep, that’s the whole plan,” Lily said. “Ready?”

James moved away from the door. “When I say go, you run. I’ll catch up.” Lily took his place, ready to throw open the door as soon as he said go. 

“Go!” Lily threw open the door, running straight at the unsuspecting guards. 

“What the - “ one started to say before Lily rammed her shoulder into him. She wasn’t big enough to cause any damage, but it distracted him enough for James to fire four shots at the guards. Four went down, leaving two left. Lily had a second to appreciate James’ shot before shoving the guard away from her, reaching for one of the fallen guard’s guns. It was trapped underneath him, and before Lily could pull it free, the guard grabbed her arm, twisting it uncomfortably behind her back. She screamed, desperately trying to pull the gun away from the dead guard while being pulled back by the guard. 

Just behind her, James swung the empty gun at the remaining guard, throwing him off enough for James to tackle him. Thinking quickly, Lily dropped to the ground and rolled, getting enough momentum to get the guard to let go of her arm. Still on the ground, Lily kicked straight up into his crotch, giving her just enough time to grab the gun.

Or she thought it was enough time. This time, the guard grabbed her by the throat, hoisting her up and slamming her against the outer palace wall with two hands. He pressed his body against hers so she couldn’t kick out. His hands squeezed her neck tightly, and she tried to pry his fingers off, but it was a losing battle. 

She tried to push him away with her hands, but she was getting too weak. Her vision was growing darker and darker, and her strength weakened until she couldn’t even lift her hands. She blinked once, briefly picturing James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter. There was a loud bang somewhere in the distance, but Lily couldn’t see enough to know who had shot. 

And all of a sudden, the hands were gone from her throat. She took in a deep, choking breath, sliding to the ground. “When I said run like hell Evans, I meant towards the bridge. Not _at_ them.” James squatted next to her, offering her a hand. “We have to go, now. Those gunshots brought a lot of attention, and we have to get across the bridge.”

Lily nodded slowly, taking in another precious breath. She took James’ hand, and he yanked her up. Slowly at first, but soon sprinting, they took off towards the bridge that connected the palace and city. It wasn’t long before their movement was noticed, and guards were dispatched from the palace. 

Breathing hard, Lily was falling behind James as they wove in and out of traffic. Her ribs were bruised and she had nearly been strangled. It wasn’t that she was out of shape - she was exhausted. In the distance, Lily could hear guards chasing after them, and gaining fast. James paused just long enough for her to catch up, holding a gun in one hand, and grabbing her hand in his other. He pulled her along, keeping her running at an even pace. Whenever she faltered, he squeezed her tighter, helping her stay on her feet. 

Once across the bridge, Lily knew the territory better. Hoping they could lose them in a market crowd, she pulled her arm away from James and took a sharp left. He followed closely behind her, glancing over his shoulder every few seconds to gauge the distance between them and the guards. Lily threaded them through the crowd, jumping over carts and swinging dangerously around corners. In some places, she had to push through thick crowds. As they slowed down, people recognized them, which was making it impossible for them to disappear in the crowd. 

Their only option was to lose them in the streets now, preferably the alleyways. 

“Where are we going?” James shouted behind her. Lily turned her head around, judging the distance between them and the guards. 

Lily didn’t know how much more she could take. Guards were firing wildly at them, her ribcage was on fire, her throat burned, and she couldn’t breathe. At some point, she had twisted her ankle while running and the shock of the situation was wearing off. Pain seared into her with every step she took. Lily waited until he caught up before saying anything out loud. “If we can shake them, the Order.”

Behind them, the guards were ordering people out the way, so instead of fighting through the crowd like James and Lily were, they were able to run straight through. Lily turned left down a quieter street, with the soldiers right on their heels. Now that there were less people, the guards began firing. Lily ducked, but stumbled to the ground. James skidded to a stop, using one hand to hoist her up, while firing with the other. Two guards went down, but the rest kept advancing. 

In seconds, Lily was back on her feet. But they were running down a straight, narrow street, and they were easy targets. 

Just then, a door of a tavern flew open on their right side. A drunk stumbled out, blinking at the bright sunlight. “Potter!” Lily panted, running straight for the open door. Once inside, they shut the door, locking it behind them. Bullets began hitting the door, and suddenly Lily realized that there might not be a way out of this tavern. The bottom floor was filled with people, some staring in shock, others running for the backdoor as the hinges on the door started to break. On their right, there was a staircase leading upstairs, and James gestured to it. “We can’t get out the back with all those people,” he said. Lily nodded and followed him up the stairs. 

The upstairs was a hotel, with disturbed residents coming out of their rooms to see what the noise was all about. James forced himself past an elderly lady, and into the room. Lily stared at him in confusion and disgust. “You’re going to use her as a shield?” 

James wiped his forehead on his sleeve. “No, the window. If we can get outside onto the roof, we could lay down until they leave.” He strode the end of the room and yanked open the window. He laid the gun quietly on the roof and stuck his head out. “You shouldn’t be able to see us from this street.”

Lily nodded her understanding. Downstairs, she could hear the guards had finally broken down the front door. They couldn’t count on anyone lying for them, so as soon as James was on the roof, Lily followed, closing the window behind her. 

James carefully inched away from the window, still breathing heavily. Lily could hear the guards moving upstairs, yelling at the residents. She glanced once down at the street below her, took a steadying breath, and started to run. 

Behind her, she could hear James curse, and in a second, he was right next to her. “They’re going to find us on the roof!” she shouted. If the elderly lady told them they were in her room, and the only way out was the window, the guards would see them in seconds. James cursed again. They came to the edge of the roof. In between them and the next roof was a small alleyway. The roof across from them was steep, and missing most of their shingles, leaving stripped wood to grip on. They paused, staring at the gap before them, and the ground beneath them. 

There was a gunshot, and Lily felt it just barely miss her. She glanced at James, who shrugged. “Down or across, you choose,” he said, turning to fire back. “I’m almost out of shots.”

Lily bit her lip and made a quick decision. She took a step back, got a running start, and leaped across the alley. Her jump was good, but the impact slammed her already bruised body against the roof, and she lost her breath. Her hands scrambled to find purchase on the splintered wood, and her feet breaking off shingles and sending them spinning to the ground. James jumped, managing to brace his feet against some of the few shingles. Lily fingers were now the only thing holding her on the roof, finding purchase on a rain gutter. 

James reached for one of her hands, trying to pull her up. “We can’t run on the roof, we’re too exposed,” Lily said. She glanced at her feet dangling above the street. “Drop me.”

His face appeared above hers, looking at the height. He shook his head. “It’s too far of a jump. We can find a set of stairs to go down and -”

“James! We don’t have time for that,” She pleaded. Every bone in her body was screaming, and rationally, she knew dropping from here was going to hurt worse. “Let me go. I’ll roll when I hit the ground.” He didn’t respond, looking back down at the ground. The guards fired again, one narrowly missing James’ foot. She felt the wood shards spray her face as the bullet hit and flinched back.

Lily realized he would never willingly drop her from this height, but she saw no other option. She swung her foot to the side of the building, giving her enough momentum to twist violently. Their sweaty hands separated and she fell towards the ground. 

James was yelling at her but became background noise as she saw the ground zooming towards her. Her injured foot touched the ground first, but she forced her momentum into a somersault, ending with her back on the dusty ground. The pain was immense, and she felt like her chest was being squeezed by a giant, but when she saw James lower himself down and fall, she pushed herself off the ground and hobbled toward him. 

“I’m fine. Just… the wind knocked out of me,” He muttered. She felt a twinge of regret in making him jump as well, but there really hadn’t been another option. The guards had reached the end of the roof and were now standing directly above them. 

Lily grabbed his hand and pulled him up, grunting at his weight. Breathing hard, they took off down the streets. Once again, they could hear the guards moving down the streets around them as shouts of people rang out in protest. Running in any direction would now bring them straight into a squad of guards. Lily shoved James into a small, somewhat hidden alley. 

It was full of litter, and there was no exit, and nowhere to hide. At the end, there was a large wooden fence, impossible to climb. On the left side, there was a small door. Lily and James exchanged a glance and started to look for anything to hide behind or that would be useful to scale the wall. But there was nothing, the door was locked, and they were trapped. 

Lily leaned heavily against the fence, and James ran back to peek his head around the corner, shirt drenched in sweat. They could hear the guards searching every alley and yelling at bystanders who got in their way. James cocked his guns, and even if Lily had a gun, she didn’t think she could even lift it at the moment. And, James couldn’t take out a whole army of soldiers by himself. She leaned her head back and prayed for anything, _anything_ that could save them, but she knew all hope was lost. 

The sounds of the guards drew nearer. James retreated back to Lily and gripped her hand tightly. “We’ll be ok,” He tried to tell her, but his voice cracked and he looked away. Lily squeezed his hand back, too tired to speak. She didn’t believe him for a second, and she knew he didn’t believe it either. 

Lily closed her eyes and leaned her head back, waiting for the inevitable moment they were spotted. 

“Your majesties?”

Lily's eyes opened, and she whipped her head towards the sound of a voice. The small door that had been locked earlier was now open, and an old lady, at least a foot shorter than Lily, was poking her head out. She looked down the alley once, back at them, and then back down the alley. When she looked at them again, she made a single gesture and retreated back into the doorway, but left the door open. 

Lily made a split second decision as she saw the shadows of the guards cross into the alley, and dove towards the door, with James right behind her. The lady shut the door quietly behind them and motioned for them to stay silent. Just outside, they could hear the guards run down the alley, checking every inch before moving on. Lily slapped one hand over her mouth, keeping herself from breathing too heavily. Her entire body was trembling with the effort. Looking to her side, James was rocking back on the balls of his feet, eyes closed and head tilted back. When it had been silent for over a minute, Lily drew in a shaky breath and fell against the wall. 

Who are you?” James demanded, still gripping the gun tightly in his hand. A young man, in his late teens, appeared from the back of the room. “We are just citizens, your majesty. I’m Nicholas, and this is my grandmother, Martha.”

“You recognize us?” Lily asked, still gasping for air. The young man nodded. “There are many who recognize you, Queen Lily. And many more who would be willing to help either of you.”

James took a hesitant step back, and then leaned the gun against the wall. That seemed to be enough for him to trust them for now. “Why did you help us?”

Nicholas looked around the room. They were in a small, but neat, kitchen. A loaf of bread was baking in the oven, Lily noticed, and there was a bowl of fruit sitting on the table. There was a door on the far side, and through it, Lily could see two beds and a dresser. 

“Not many people notice this place. We try to mind our own business.” He paused and stepped a little closer. “You have our respect.”

“But why?” Lily asked. “Riddle is taking over, and we haven’t made any big changes -” 

“- because you’ve helped us -” Nicholas tried to say, but the old lady finally spoke and swatted his head. “Don’t interrupt the King and Queen, Nick, only two minutes they’ve been here, and you’re already yapping away…” She trailed off and started humming, turning back to her work in the kitchen, and Nicholas rolled his eyes and turned back to them. 

“I’m sorry, your majesty.” James waved him off, so he continued. “We… Queen Lily did… she helped us a lot when she was the protest leader. We never met, but you…” Surprised at the turn in the conversation, Lily finally met his eyes. “You gave us hope,” Nicholas said simply, shrugging his shoulders. “We thought you would maybe leave us when you married King James… No offense, Your majesties.” 

“None taken. And please, just call us James and Lily. We’re nothing special,” James muttered. He ran a hand over his eyes, wiping away the sweat. Lily tried to smile at Nick, grateful for what he was saying, but her knees suddenly buckled and her arm shot out for James’ support.

Martha noticed her stumble, and crossed to Lily, watching her carefully. “She’s in pain,” she declared. Lily tried to protest by standing straighter, but when James put a steadying arm around her shoulders, she nearly collapsed again. Martha pointed at James first, then Nicholas. “You. Help me get her onto the table. Nick, clear off the table - quick now.”

Nicholas swept a drying rack off the table and grabbed a tablecloth, spreading it over the table. James scooped Lily up with surprising ease and carried her over, setting her down gently.

Martha returned with a sack from a closet in the other room. “I can maybe find something for the cut on your cheek, and anything else,” Martha said gently. Lily nodded briefly, before laying her head back down. She hadn’t even noticed the cut on her cheek. 

“Her ribs are probably bruised, she hurt her ankle, and someone tried to… tried to strangle her,” James said quietly. “Anything else Lily?”

“I don’t think so,” Lily croaked, shaking her head. Nick fetched a cup of water for both of them, and James gulped his down, plopping the cup back on the table. 

First, Martha wiped away the soot and grime from Lily’s face, humming softly as she winced, and then pulled out dried herbs from her bag, and mixed them in a small bowl. She smeared the paste on Lily’s face and neck, and Lily sighed in relief at the cool texture. Then she moved to Lily’s ankle, now purple and heavily swollen. She snapped her fingers, and Nicholas brought her another pillow to prop her foot up. Martha poked around for a minute, and Lily wanted to cry at the pain. Martha’s prodding had only aggravated it more. 

But it didn’t take long for that pain to lessen either. Martha had it wrapped up in a moment. Then she pursed her lips and pointed to the door. “Out,” She told James and Nicholas firmly. James tried to protest, saying he was her husband, but Martha narrowed her eyes, and James followed Nick into the other room and closed the door. Clearly, they hadn’t played the doting husband and wife role well enough if she had seen through them that quickly. Not that that was the angle they were trying to play - but hopefully their dislike of each other wasn’t _that_ obvious. 

Martha helped Lily slowly sit up, and gingerly removed her jacket and torn shirt. Lily glanced down at her bare torso. A splattering of newly formed bruises ran up and down her arms, covering her chest and collarbone. There was a particularly ugly one over her breastbone, yellow and swollen, and fingerprints covering her neck. 

Lily cried out as Martha touched her ribs, clenching the table tightly as tears stung her eyelids. Martha made another poultice, spreading it over her chest and bruises, then covered it with a long strip of white cloth. Once Lily was in a clean blue shirt, she called James and Nicholas back into the kitchen. 

A few minutes later, Lily was sitting at the table, bundled in a blanket and eating a bowl of steaming stew. Martha was now treating James’ injuries, which were definitely painful but far less severe than Lily’s. But her mind couldn’t focus on their conversation. It still hurt to breathe like the bleeding devil, but now, slightly cleaner and in less pain, Lily let her mind drift to what happened only an hour ago. _Remus. Sirius_. _Peter. Emmeline. Were they ok?_ Tears threatened to spill over and she tilted her head back, trying to regain control. “Do you have a bathroom?” She muttered, looking for an escape. 

Nicholas looked at Martha. “It’s outside, and we share it with the house next door. If you can wait until nightfall -”

“I’ll just wait,” She croaked and quickly wiped a stray tear away. James met her eyes for an awkward moment, then cleared his throat and started up a conversation with Nicholas, clearly unsure of how to help her. If she was in any other situation, she might have laughed at his awkwardness, but right now, her head was pounding and she could barely speak. 

Once dinner was over, James helped clear the dishes, but Lily sat staring at the wall. Once Martha and Nicholas retreated into the other room, James gently led her into the corner, helping her keep weight off her ankle. 

“Are you okay?” He asked. Lily shrugged noncommittally. He didn’t look too good himself, and she knew she didn’t look any better. She had regained composure during dinner, but looking at his battered face overwhelmed her again. Her eyes filled with tears, and she turned away to hide her tears. She bit her lip and tried to take a deep breath, but the effort was too great. Her eyes overflowed and her shoulders slumped. She broke down silently with tears pouring down her face. James hesitated for a second, but when she took in a shuddering sob, he sat down on a bench, pulling her with him, and swept her into a careful hug. 

“You’re gonna be okay Evans, I know you. It’s all going to be okay,” He murmured into her bright hair. For a second, Lily forgot who he was and melted into his arms, grateful that someone was with her. Lily knew what it was like to be in shock, but the past few hours had put her on a whole new level.

Her silent sobs slowly died off, and eventually, Lily pulled away from James. 

“Thanks,” she said softly. He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, and Lily half-smiled. “Do… Do you think Sirius, Remus, and Peter got out alright? Emmeline wasn’t near the meeting, so there’s a chance she got out.” She used her sleeve to quickly clean up, then leaned back against the wall.

James’ head dropped, and his fingers played with a stray string he had found. “If they got out, I know where to meet them. They’re smart. We used to play around in the secret passages all day, so if they got out of that room…” he trailed off, not wanting to relive the deadly scene that had played out before them. 

“I can’t believe I knew about a passage you didn’t.”

James rolled his eyes. “I guarantee I know more than you. Jemma just likes you more.”

Lily grinned but was too tired to come up with a good reply. Instead, she punched him lightly and leaned her head on his shoulder. They fell silent, appreciating the quiet. Through a small window, she could see that night had fallen, and she yawned. Twice.

James chuckled, his deep voice rumbling through her core. He swept her up in his strong arms. She tried to protest, hating that she needed help, but he shushed her and carried her to the backroom. Martha opened the door, smiling sweetly, and directed James to put Lily on a bed. By the time her head hit the pillow, she was fast asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> finally getting to some more action! hope you enjoyed :) find me on tumblr @jilyss !


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you all for the sweet comments and happy new year!

Lily’s eyes fluttered open the next morning as the sun filtered past the curtain and filled the room. She was lying on a bed, with a mountain of blankets on her. The room was empty, with two bedrolls tucked neatly in the corner, and another unmade bed. She stared at the ceiling for a moment, not prepared for the coming day. Slowly, Lily stretched, ignoring the painful stitch in her side. When she finally got up, her bones screamed in pain, and she had to shuffle to the door and out into the kitchen.

James turned as he heard the door open, and smiled. She smiled back ever so slightly, but she was hungry, still exhausted, and not in the mood for conversation. 

“Morning,” She said. Nicholas grinned. 

“It’s past noon, Queen Lily,” He chuckled. Lily’s eyes widened, and she glanced out the window. Sure enough, the sun was past the top of the sky. 

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to sleep in so late.” 

Martha gestured to the bench next to her. “Come sit dear, you needed your sleep.” She stood up and helped her sit down. Martha plopped a big bowl of hot oatmeal in front of Lily. “King James was about to ask us a question, I believe.”

Lily spooned food into her mouth, trying to push the fog from her brain. James cleared his throat, shifting in his seat. “I was just going to ask… I didn’t understand - when you helped us, why did you, exactly? Did you know we were in trouble?”

Martha pat his hand comfortingly. “Nicholas was in the market earlier and came home after he saw the commotion. We had always wished that we could help in the rebellion somehow, although, of course King James -”

“-I don’t care,” James said roughly. “I know I was an awful king.”

“But you aren’t now!” Nicholas exclaimed. He smirked, winking at James. “Especially once you married Queen Lily.”

James’ mouth dropped open, and Lily froze. They had more than a few arguments in the past about this very topic. Martha frowned, swatting at Nick’s head, who dodged it without success. When he raised his head up again, he was still smirking, glancing between the now fidgeting awkward couple.

Lily tried to suppress her laughs, but after a second, let it burst out of her, clutching her bruised ribs. James shook his head ruefully, trying to hold in a smile. While Lily settled down, Martha continued talking. “Nicholas especially wanted to change some things in the government. I was a little set in my old ways but -” her eyes gleamed, and she seemed to grow a tiny bit taller. “- Queen Lily, when you began the protests, it made me realize that life could be a lot better. Like I said before, you gave us hope.”

“We aren’t finished yet. We’ve only done a few little things that should have been a long time ago,” Lily said firmly. “We’ve done nothing that shouldn’t have been done a long time ago.”

The conversation moved to news in the city as Lily finished her oatmeal. Lily and James hadn’t even been able to properly talk about what they thought had happened, but the city had news of its own. Together, the four of them began to piece together the events. The attack on the council had occurred around five o’clock yesterday afternoon. Lily and James had escaped the palace by around five thirty, and by six, they were taken in by Martha and Nick. Last night, there were three more death eater attacks. Two of them targeted families of council members loyal to James and Lily. There was no word from the palace or any nobles about Lily and James’ disappearance, but they had clearly been seen running from palace guards. According to Nick, the rumors about James and Lily ranged from lovers escaping the formal palace life to an attempted assassination. No one had seen Lily and James enter Martha and Nick’s apartment, so for now, they were safe.

Their first priority was finding Remus, Sirius, Peter, and Emmeline, and anyone else who might have escaped Riddle’s coup. They might have more information on what had happened, and even if they didn’t, they were important governmental leaders and friends. 

James claimed he knew where he could meet them. “If they got out, they’ll go to this old bar called the Shrieking Shack. We used to sneak out when we were younger and act older to get in. Everyone was too drunk to recognize us, and we’ve gone there for years.”

“The Shrieking Shack?” Lily raised her eyebrows. She was sitting across from him at the kitchen table.

James smirked. “It’s got quite the atmosphere. Think you can handle it?”

Lily flipped him off, about to tell him where he could stick his attitude. Then, realizing what she just had done, quickly turned to Martha and Nick. “I’m so sorry, we just - I get…”

Nick snickered. “I told you, grandma.” Martha promptly hit him over the head with an oven mit, shaking her head. 

James raised his eyebrows at Nick. Nick had good sense to look a little abashed, but it only lasted for a second. He turned to Lily, who was bright red. “So why did you two get married?” Martha tried to hit him again, but Nick dodged her just in time. He grinned widely. “Love?”

James choked, coughing on air, and Martha put her face into her wrinkled hands. Lily heard her mutter “He’ll be the death of me someday.” Lily tried to keep her face neutral, but James blushing made her crack up. 

The laughter, although genuine, died awkwardly a few moments later, and James and Lily couldn’t quite look at each other. Lily placed her spoon into her empty bowl, not sure how much they should day. She could feel the tension practically vibrating between them, and it pulsed through her uncomfortably. James shifted next to her, and their eyes met. His brown eyes were angry, and Lily could tell their previous arguments about their marriage were once again coming back to him. 

She cleared her throat, still staring at him. “To be honest, we hated each other at first. We both wanted to make a difference, but had different ways of doing it. Then… things happened. We were trying to restart the council. But if I wanted to be a part of the council, I had to be royalty. The law would be nearly impossible to change right now -”

“Evans, we can’t tell them everything…” James trailed off, glancing at Martha and Nick. Lily waved a hand, now determined to finish what she was saying. 

“They saved our lives, and it’s not hard to figure out anyway.” She turned to Nick and Martha. “We would appreciate you not telling a lot of people. It’s not exactly the greatest story.”

They nodded their understanding. James might not trust them, but so far, they had had every opportunity to turn them in, and they hadn’t. And maybe because she could relate to them, Lily trusted them. 

James picked up the story, thrusting a hand through his uncombed hair. “To change the law, we could have a public vote, or change it with a king _and_ queen. We had to pick our battles, and we didn’t have time for a public vote, so -”

“- marriage was our only option.”

“So… we got married and changed the rule.” He glanced at Lily. “Because of our… backgrounds, we tried to make it seem like we were uniting the people and the government. Honestly, I think it might have done more harm than good, but we are doing our best.”

Martha spoke up. She had been quiet the majority of the time, and Lily was a little surprised to hear her speak. “Queen Lily has been respected on this side of the city,” Martha said. She pointed a crooked finger at her. “That carried over even when she went to the other side.”

Lily smiled gently. Every second of the day she doubted if she was making the right decisions, and even if she wasn’t succeeding, it was good to be reminded what Lily was fighting for. Martha and Nick represented exactly who she wanted to help. Lily reached over to squeeze Martha’s hand. “We have a lot of work to do.”

“I’m afraid that we can’t pay you at the moment for your hospitality,” James said, turning into a diplomat. Lily was honestly a little surprised to hear him thinking about others like that. Martha and Nick were putting their lives in danger by keeping them here, and feeding them. 

Lily jumped in. “And yes, you do deserve it, Martha. We really do appreciate it.”

James took in a deep breath. “Evans, we do need to leave soon.”

She bit her lip. “I know. The sooner we get to Riddle, the better.”

They paused, each mulling over what their next move should be. They had already agreed that the first priority would be finding their friends and any survivors. 

“We should -”

“I think -” they both said at the same time. James frowned at her, then turned to Martha and Nick. “Do you mind giving us a minute?” They nodded, excused themselves, and retreated to the back room. James looked back at her. “You go first.”

Lily took the plunge, and she didn’t think James was going to like what she was going to say. “Our second priority should be finding the Order. Dumbledore has been rebuilding, and -”

“- I thought you once said that ‘the Order focuses on the death eaters, and I focus on fixing the government’. I thought that wasn’t the Order’s purpose.” James interrupted. Lily glared at him. 

“Yes, but I think -”

“They’ve been feeding us information, but what makes you think they would help with this?” ” James said again. And just like that, they were back to arguing. Whatever cooperation they’d had while running yesterday, or just a few minutes ago, seemed to be gone. Lily gritted her teeth, and dove back in, hoping that they wouldn’t make the wrong impression on Martha and Nick. 

In actuality, it didn’t take long to decide what to do. After finding their friends, their only real option was to find the Order. The Order was their only connection to any resources they could use to get Riddle out, so whether James liked it or not, that would be their next step. 

When the sun had finally set, Lily, who was more recognizable, draped a long shawl from Martha over her face, while James wore a low brimmed hat, borrowed from Nick. They said their goodbyes, thanked them again, and slipped out into the night. 

In their frantic rooftop run yesterday, Lily had lost track of where she was in the city. It took her a few minutes to reorient herself, and she took a few wrong turns. Luckily, James was clueless when it came to the city, and she didn’t bother to inform him of her mistakes. Several guard patrols passed them on the way, and each time, Lily and James hid as best they could. Even if they weren’t recognized, they weren’t taking any chances. 

James had given Lily the address to the Shrieking Shack, and it didn’t take long before they were there. Loud music spilled out of the tavern and into the streets. Lily exchanged an uneasy glance with James. They could easily be recognized inside, and guards could be alerted without them knowing. “Are you sure you don’t want to stay outside?” He asked her. “I’m kind of a regular, and no one’s ever recognized me. You…”

Lily sighed. He had a point, and she needed to compromise. “I’ll wait outside. Don’t take too long, yeah?”

James nodded, pulled his hat lower, and strode inside. Lily glanced over her shoulder, making sure no one was watching her, before slipping to the side of the tavern. Ducking behind an overturned barrel, she settled in to wait. 

It was almost an hour before James left the tavern, and Lily was fuming. When she said don’t take too long, she meant a few minutes. Not an _hour._ She was about ready to give him a piece of her mind when she noticed Sirius and Remus following James out of the tavern. Breathing a huge sigh of relief, she stood up, fighting down a smile. Half a second later, her smile faltered when she noticed Peter was nowhere to be seen. 

Her and James had agreed beforehand to walk in two groups. James would walk behind Lily, decreasing the chances someone would recognize them together, and follow her. It seemed like James had filled them in as Sirius stepped in line next to her. 

“Hey, Evans,” he whispered, punching her lightly. “Doing alright?”

Lily nodded, readjusting her shawl over her bright hair. “It’s good to see you.” She turned down the street, glancing back once to check that James and Remus were following. 

In a few minutes, Lily and Sirius had arrived. As she knocked on the door, she could see James and Remus out of the corner of her eye. There was no movement inside for a long moment, so Lily repeated her knock. 

The door cracked open just enough for one eye to peer out. They blinked once, then twice. The person behind the door moved back just enough, and Lily and Sirius slipped in. Once inside, Lily quickly registered her surroundings. Gideon stood with a gun pointed directly at them, while Frank emerged from his bedroom, hastily pulling on a shirt.

“Fab, it’s me! It’s me and my friend, Sirius” Lily said, holding up her hands. “It’s me!” 

He slowly lowered the gun. “Evans? You got out?” His eyes took in the dark bruises around her neck. “What happened to you?”

“Didn’t you hear the rumors?” She grinned, pulling him into a hug, and then pulled in Frank, who was now wide awake.

Gideon looked back at Sirius, gun still at the ready. “Who’s he?”

Before Lily got a chance, there was another knock at the door. Gideon lifted the gun again, but Lily moved quickly to the door, peering out. Once she confirmed who it was, she stepped back so James and Remus could enter. 

“Lily,” Frank growled, standing shoulder to shoulder with Gideon. “Explain.”

Lily bolted the door and put her hands on her hips, all business now. “We need your help. This is James, Sirius, and Remus, my friends from the palace. Riddle attacked us, and we escaped.”

“All four of you? How did all four of you escape at the same time?” Frank asked.

“Potter and I used a servant’s escape. I’m not sure about Sirius and Remus. We just regrouped a minute ago.”

“You trust them?” Gideon asked, the gun still pointed at them. Lily nodded, slowly at first, but looking at her friends, her confidence grew. 

“Yeah. Yeah, I would trust them with anything.”

Gideon watched her for a second, then slowly lowered the gun. “Alright. I’m Gideon. This is Frank.” He stepped forward to shake their hands, followed by Frank. When he got to James, he hesitated. “I’m not going to treat you special or anything, your majesty.” 

James stuck out his hand. “I don’t want you to.” Gideon shook it, then turned back to Lily, looking slightly impressed. 

“You fixed him up good, didn’t you?”

Lily grinned widely as James huffed next to her. “I got some of that hoity-toityness out of him. He’s still a prick.”

James was half smiling at her, but before he could fire back, Lily turned to Sirius and Remus. “How did you guys escape?”

Remus spoke first. He looked exhausted, and clearly had not slept much the past few nights “After I left you two, I went down to the basement and out one of the servant’s passages. I hid there until it was dark, then snuck across the river. I don’t think anyone saw me.”

Sirius was more somber. “For a while, I was a prisoner with a few other loyal council members. At some point, there were only two guards watching us. I recognized one of them. He was young and had been threatened into helping Riddle. I talked to both of them for a while, trying to give them a guilt trip. The younger one eventually ripped off his black bandana.” He bowed his head, his long curly hair covering his face. “The other one got angry. He… he killed the kid. Right in front of us.” Sirius’ voice broke, and Remus moved to put a hand on his shoulder. “But it was enough for me to knock him down. After that we all split up. I have no idea if the other council members got out.”

Lily and James filled the others in on their escape story, explaining how the kitchen servants had helped them, how they’d been chased onto a roof, and then found shelter in an unlikely place. 

“So, what’s your plan?” Frank said. They had moved to a table in the small apartment, practically sitting on each other. It was nearly three a.m. and 

“We’re hoping you can take us to Dumbledore and the Order,” Lily said, rubbing her eyes. It was nearly three a.m. and her head was pounding. “I know he’s not a fan of me, but he’s our only option right now.”

“Shouldn’t be a prob,” Gideon glanced at Frank, shrugging his large shoulders. 

“Really?” Lily said in disbelief. While she didn’t think Dumbledore would turn them away, she thought it would take some convincing to get him to use her and James. “If it was clear that James and I were directly helping, it would make the Order become public.”

“You remember McGonagall?”

“She’s back?” Lily’s eyes widened as Frank nodded. Her mind started racing as she went through possibilities. McGonagall was Lily’s elementary school teacher. When Lily had stopped attending, she eventually recruited Lily to join the Order. 

“A week ago she convinced Dumbledore that we needed to go public anyway. She wanted to use you, since she knew you would help -”

“- but he didn’t want to involve you yet because we were only passing you information through Emmeline _._ I have a feeling that’s going to change now that Riddle’s showed his hand.”

“Do we have proof yet that he’s the leader of the death eaters?” Remus asked. 

Gideon nodded. “Ever since he overthrew you guys, he’s been calling himself the Dark Lord. He’s not hiding it anymore.” At Lily’s questioning look, he added, “Emmeline managed to stay behind in the attack. She’s been feeding us information.”

Lily breathed a sigh of relief. For now, Emmeline was safe. And information from the inside definitely gave them a slight advantage. “So you think he’ll support us?”

Frank shrugged. “You never know what Dumbledore’s going to think. But we can try.”

Gideon sat back in his chair, throwing his arm over the back of Lily’s chair. “I’ll take you there in the morning, before it gets light. We should probably try to get some sleep.”

There weren’t enough beds for all of them, so the group of four crashed on the floor with blankets provided by Frank. It seemed like mere seconds had passed from when Lily closed her eyes to when Remus was shaking her awake. Groaning, she pulled herself off the floor. James, who was right next to her, snored softly. Rolling her eyes, she kicked him lightly in the stomach. His eyes flew open and he shot up. Sirius sniggered behind her, and James flipped him off. 

It was still pitch black outside, which was perfect for staying hidden. Lily wrapped the shawl from earlier around her hair, and James tugged his hat on again. “We’ll split up again, yeah?” Gideon said. “Evans, you go with James, I’ll take Sirius, and Remus you’ll go with Frank. It’s not too far.” Lily glared at Gideon as he paired her with James. He sent her a sly smirk, knowing exactly what he was doing. Refusing to give him any more material to use against her, Lily stayed quiet. 

They kept the light off inside to make it harder to see them leaving the apartment. Gideon left first with Sirius. A minute later, Lily cracked open the door. The cold air sent shivers through her, covering in goosebumps. James poked her back, and she threw an elbow in response. Once outside, they let their eyes adjust in the dark to find the silhouettes of Gideon and Sirius in the distance, before they began their walk.

The streets were empty and cold. Lily was too tired to talk, her ankle hurt, and she was bracing herself for what was coming next. The last time she had spoken with Dumbledore, it had been after the Order’s headquarters had been burned down and Alice had gone missing. Lily felt a pang of guilt when she remembered Alice. Lily could have easily been in Alice’s position - missing or dead. 

They hadn’t walked far when Gideon turned down an alley. Trying to not to seem suspicious, Lily and James followed carefully. Ahead of them, Gideon knocked on what looked like an overturned wagon, and disappeared. Exchanging a glance, they moved closer. The derelict wagon lay upside down, and at first glanced seemed completely abandoned. In reality, it was covering a small door in the warehouse’s wall. Lily knelt to the door’s level, and knocked. 

They were quickly ushered in by Gideon. Lily, still injured, stumbled as she tried to stand up. James, who had stood quickly, grabbed her arm and helped her up. Lily sent him a whispered thank you, but he was staring at the warehouse. The warehouse was not empty at all. One side was filled with crowded bunk beds filled with people sleeping. The other side was partitioned off into hospital beds, office spaces, and storage. The guard at the door, someone Lily didn’t recognize, pulled James and Lily out of the doorway as Remus and Frank joined them.

Gideon whispered something to the guard, who pointed at one of the offices. Frowning, Gideon turned back and whispered “follow me”. Lily was the first to follow, still in awe at the size of the new Order. Sirius fell in next to her. “Any idea where we are going, red?”

Lily just shook her head. Although she had never been to the warehouse before, Lily felt comfortable and safe. She could understand why the others might be uneasy. While the Order was focused on death eaters, Lily hadn’t tried to hide their disgust for their current government leaders. James, who was the biggest government leader of them all, was walking right into their headquarters.

Gideon led them to a small, unlabeled office. He knocked, and the six of them waited uneasily outside. There was a rustle inside, and thud, and the door opened. Dumbledore stood, wearing a blue night robe and a nightcap. His eyes’ met Lily’s, watching her carefully. He tilted his head slightly, and opened the door wider for them to enter. 

The office was tiny. A table was pushed into the wall to make room for a small cot on the floor. Chairs were stacked around the room. Dumbledore bent down to roll up the cot, and gestured at Sirius to move the table to the center of the room. “Mr. Prewett, would you please fetch Minerva and Moody for me? I believe they will want to hear this.”

Gideon strode out of the room, closing the door quietly behind him. Lily found a box of matches and lit several candles scattered throughout the room. The room was deadly quiet, and when she set the box of matches down, it echoed throughout the room. 

They were saved from speaking by McGonagall entering the room, followed by Moody and Kingsley. Both Moody and Kingsley were other Order leaders, but Lily had rarely interacted with them. Kingsley was focused on financial aspects of the Order, while Moody had focused on death eaters attacks. Lily was somewhere in between, meaning that she met with Dumbledore more often. As they entered the room, Lily’s eyes tracked McGonagall, who she hadn’t seen in several years. In just a short time, she looked much older, and worn to the bone.

After brief introductions were made, all eyes turned to Lily. Taking a deep breath, she bit her lip, trying to decide where to start. The tension in the room was mounting with every second. “I’m not sure what information the Order has. I’m just going to fill you in on where we-” she gestured at herself, James, Sirius, and Remus. “-have been since Riddle took over.”

The details of their escape weren’t incredibly important, and in reality, neither was where they had been. Instead, Lily touched on the kindness they had received from the kitchen servants, and Martha and Nick. It didn’t take her long to rehash the details. She knew the Order had more information than they did, so she saved herself from talking. 

“So why are you here, Mrs. Potter?” Dumbledore said. His name choice for her was deliberate, trying to judge her loyalties. Lily kept her face calm. James stiffened just slightly next to her.

“We believe we can help you get rid of the death eaters once and for all.” She glanced at James, who was sitting across from Moody with his arms folded tightly over his chest. “Once Riddle is out of the way, we can implement the changes we’ve talked about.”

Dumbledore lowered his chin so that his eyes were peering at her over his glasses. “And you go back on the throne.”

Despite her appearance, McGonagall’s voice was firm. “The Order has never been about politics, Lily.” Lily’s mouth twitched at this use of her name. Despite having been her good friend and mentor, Minerva McGonagall had never called Lily anything other than ‘Ms. Evans’. Lily guessed that because of her recent marriage, she opted for ‘Lily’ rather than ‘Mrs. Potter’, like Dumbledore had.

Lily bobbed her head. McGonagall was right - the Order’s goal had always been to stay low and protect without drawing attention. “No. It’s always been focused on death eaters. But those things are now the same. Riddle is now the head of politics _and_ the head of the death eaters. Getting rid of Riddle and the death eaters would also mean getting the Order involved in politics.” She exchanged a careful look with James. “We would take over the politics part, but we need your help with Riddle.”

“I think we have the same goal, sir,” James said. “We just need each other to carry it out.” 

Dumbledore turned his piercing gaze to James, who, to his credit, didn’t flinch. Slowly, he began nodding. He turned back to Lily. “I’m sure you can tell we have been increasing our numbers lately. We have a lot of families who have needed protection, and a lot more people offering to help.”

Moody grunted, his lazy eye turning in every direction around the room. “We’ve always been deep underground. But with all the recent changes, we’ve allowed more rumors to spread.”

“That’s what saved us last night,” James said. “We were taken in because of rumors of the Order.”

Dumbledore allowed a small smile on his face. His eyes roved around the room, watching everyone intently. His head tilted, rocking slightly back. His eyes found Lily’s. “I believe we can make this work.” 

Lily breathed a silent sigh of relief, feeling some of the burden rolling off her shoulders. She sat up straighter. “Where do we begin?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> find me on tumblr @jilyss :)


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok just a little warning - this chapter has a little more violence and blood, so just be careful if that's a tw. enjoy!

Despite falling asleep last, Lily was the first one to wake up the next morning. Her back aching from the hard floor and her numerous injuries, Lily heaved herself up. She tiptoed around the sleeping bodies and out into the warehouse. The warehouse was mostly quiet, with only a few people left in the bunk bed area. She didn’t feel like talking to anyone, so she pulled the shawl up from her shoulders and over her red hair.

As a group, they decided it would be best to get started in the morning. It would be easier to plan if they could talk loudly without worrying about waking people up, and most of them were functioning on little sleep. The six of them were assigned to sleep in an extra storage unit, just big enough to lay in. All of them fell asleep almost instantly, but Lily stared at the ceiling, wondering about what new changes would come about in the morning. James was squished on the cold floor between her and Sirius, and his deep breathing reminded her of what they had been through together. Despite their constant arguments, they had survived Riddle’s attack together. Lily doubted that she could have escaped without him, and for that, she was grateful. It took her a long time to fall asleep, running through the events of the past forty eight hours in her mind, over and over again. Exhausted, her mind eventually drifted off, but the memories didn’t go away, instead returning in her dreams.

Lily limped over to the office they had used last night. No one was inside, so she checked several of the other offices - all empty. Puzzled, she made her way to the hospital beds. Several of the beds were curtained off, but a short nurse bustled between the beds, holding a silver tray. 

The nurse turned around, and Lily smiled softly. “Madam Pomfrey?”

She dropped her silver tray, clasping her hands over her mouth. The sound of the tray hitting the ground echoed throughout the room, and Lily frantically shushed her. “Shh! Hi! It’s me!” she whispered. 

Madam Pomfrey kept one hand on her mouth and knotted the other in her white apron. “Oh, it’s so good to see you dearie!” She pulled her into a tight hug. Lily’s ribs screamed in protest, and Lily tried to push her away. 

“My ribs - I -” she started to say. Instantly, Madam Pomfrey went into full nurse mode, taking in the bruises covering her body. She ushered Lily onto an empty bed and pulled the curtain around her. “Ack - what happened to you?”

Lily’s chest was still screaming, so she just gestured to her chest. Martha had wrapped her tightly, but it was time for the bandages to be changed, and Lily couldn’t do it herself. “A bit of trouble at the palace.” She laughed. That was one way to explain it. “Someone else fixed me up, but I need help redoing them.” Madam Pomfrey got straight to work, and within a few minutes, Lily had fresh bandages. 

“Don’t tell anyone I’m here, alright?” Lily asked. “I got back late last night and haven’t seen anyone yet.”

“Does Dumbledore know?” Her shrill voice seemed to carry past the curtains and Lily put a finger over her lips. 

“Yes, he knows. I met with him and the others last night.”

“Is King James here?” Lily nodded. “I’m glad you’re back, Ms. Evans.” Lily grinned at the use of her name. Mrs. Potter didn’t sit right with her, but Madam Pomfrey was too formal to call her just Lily. She wished she could go back to the time when she didn’t have to worry about titles. Titles made things too complicated, even if she didn’t follow the rules. 

“Um - is there anything to eat? I haven’t eaten since yesterday.”

She nodded. “I’ll be right back.” Lily smiled her thanks and leaned back against the pillows, which were much more comfortable than where she had spent the night. Around her, she could hear the quiet sounds of the Order. McGonagall’s voice was in some distant corner, too quiet to hear what she was saying. There was a clatter of boots, a knock at the door, and now, someone walking towards her curtained off bed. Lily turned her head, hoping to see Remus or Sirius. Instead, it was James who threw back the curtain.

She rolled her eyes at him, turning to stare up at the ceiling. “What are you doing here?”

James crossed his arms as if getting ready to argue. Instead, he sat on the edge of the bed. “Wanted to make sure you were okay.”

Lily raised an eyebrow at him. “Are _you_ feeling okay?”

He tugged on the collar of his shirt, half smiling. “I know I don’t usually check on you, but those bruises are looking pretty gnarly.” She dropped her head, closing her eyes tightly against the memories of the guard’s hands wrapped around her neck. The memory had stuck with her all night. 

James cleared his throat, and Lily glanced back up at him. “I also heard something about food.”

Lily nudged his shoulder, grateful for the lighter comment. “Madam Pomfrey is a nurse for the Order. She’ll be back in a minute.”

James grinned, leaning back on his hands. They were quiet for a minute, James swinging his feet off the edge of the bed. Lily’s mind drifted to Emmeline until James finally spoke. “How did you get involved in the Order? You’ve never said.”

Lily shifted against the pillows behind her back. She debated how much she should tell him for a moment before starting. They almost never talked about their personal lives, although Lily figured that now was as good a time as any to start. They were married, after all.

“You remember meeting my mother and sister?” James nodded. “My dad passed away when I was twelve. There was a factory fire, and they made them keep working until it was too late. Eight workers died, and it would have been completely preventable, if there were more worker safety laws in place.” She paused, her hands fidgeting in her lap.

“I dropped out of school, went to work, and grew desperate for change. I started going to protests, then speaking at protests, and then I was somehow the one leading them. Alice was another organizer, and she introduced me into the Order. I’ve been with them for four years now.”

“I’m sorry about your dad,” James said softly. 

Lily tried to smile, but her mouth barely moved. “My dad’s story is pretty common. In the city, everyone’s lost someone like that.”

James stared at the curtain surrounding them, looking defeated. Footsteps approached, and Madam Pomfrey entered holding a tray with two bowls of oatmeal. “I saw you enter, your majesty, and thought you might want some food.” She curtsied deeply to James, who waved her off and thanked her. Madam Pomfrey bustled off a second later, leaving James and Lily to devour their oatmeal. 

They were quiet as they ate. As Lily scrapped the last of her oatmeal onto her spoon, she sat up so that she was only a foot from James. “Thank you. For… keeping me alive this past week.”

James looked at her oddly. “Are you kidding? I would have been toast without you. You knew about the passage, the way around the city - without you, I would have been captured or killed.”

Lily shrugged. “Without you, I never could have gotten past those guards or gotten away in the city.”

James stood up, holding one hand out to help her get up. “I think we make a pretty good team when we can stop arguing.”

Lily nodded in agreement. Then, uncomfortable with the new, friendly territory between them, she tried to stand, but her ankle bent crookedly and she gasped, reaching for the nearest thing next to her, which happened to be James’ shoulder. Lily straightened, blushing. “Thanks,” she muttered.

He pulled back the curtain for Lily, placing a steady hand on her back. Lily let go of James and walked out, doing her best to hide her limp and maintain her dignity. She hadn’t even walked five steps before James snorted behind her and grabbed her arm, wrapping it around his shoulders. Lily wished she could let go and walk by herself, but her little stumble had made her ankle throb terribly, and she wasn’t sure she could get anywhere without support. Grudgingly, she accepted his help, and together, they made their way back to the office. 

The Order leadership, which consisted of Albus Dumbledore, Minerva McGonagall, and Alastor Moody, joined Lily, James, Remus, and Sirius in the main office. The entire day was spent planning the next several moves. The Order was becoming more mainstream, and starting to recruit heavily. James, Lily, and the others couldn’t help with that - they were too recognizable and too valuable to lose. Instead, they began planning how they could flush out death eaters and retake the palace. 

The group was just about to break for lunch when a messenger knocked on the office door, and entered at Dumbledore’s beckoning. “Riddle is offering a reward for any information about the Order, or King James or Queen Lily. He’s also imposing a strict curfew until they are found.”

“Is this rumor or an announcement?” McGonagall asked. 

“They’re posting signs throughout the city, ma’am.” He pulled out a folded piece of paper from his pocket, laying it out on the table. A rough drawing of Lily and James’ faces stared up at them, with a large sum of money written underneath it. 

As the messenger excused himself, Lily and James shared an uneasy look. They knew they were huge targets before, but attaching such a large sum of money increased the chances of having a traitor among them. 

Dumbledore looked directly at James and Lily. “You understand this means no outside trips whatsoever, correct? I trust this is self explanatory.”

Lily ducked her head. She didn’t like being stuck inside, and by the way James’ stiffened next to her, he didn’t either. But going outside would severely compromise the entire Order, so it was out of the question.

“So what’s the plan now?” Sirius asked. “I’m not sure how much you trust everyone in this building, but with how many people I’ve seen coming in and out, James and Lily shouldn’t even leave this office.”

Lily chewed on her lip. They had been planning on waiting a few weeks to build up their resources, gather more people before trying to retake the throne. But every day they waited gave more people opportunities to turn the entire Order in. “We need to move sooner than later.”

The room was quiet. Lily wondered if she said the wrong thing, but Remus nodded at her in encouragement. 

“Evans is right,” James said. “Time just increases our vulnerability. We’re going to have to use more strategy than numbers.”

“That’s risky, Mr. Potter,” McGonagall said. She tapped her fingers on the table. “More things can go wrong with a complicated plan.”

James shrugged, running a hand over his stubble. “Then we don’t do complicated. If we get rid of Riddle, it’ll be much harder for the death eaters to regroup. So we focus everything on that. Once he’s out of the way, a lot fewer people will be on his side.”

“Riddle’s main recruitment strategy is fear. A lot of the nobles on his side are only with him because anyone who says otherwise is showing up dead,” Remus said. 

Moody grunted. “So what time frame are we talking? A week? A month?”

“A week,” James said firmly. Dumbledore stared at him, and James seemed to shrink a little in his seat. Both were used to being leaders and Lily could sense some of the leadership tension between them. 

“A week?” McGonagall pursed her lips tightly. “A week to form a plan, gather resources and information, and get everyone in place?”

James swallowed hard. “The longer we wait, the more people Riddle pulls to his side.”

They fell quiet again, each imagining the task they were about to undertake. Remus nodded first, and slowly, everyone joined him. Surprisingly, Lily was last. If she was being completely honest, Riddle scared her. She knew how deep his connections went, and just how many places he had already had control of, whether you realized it or not. She had no idea how they were going to pull this off, but James was right. The longer they waited, the longer Riddle would have to scare people into joining him, and the more likely they would be caught. The time was now. 

The next week was frantic. On the first day, they spent a few hours creating possible plans, and then split up to explore different options and examining things from different angles. Lily, James, and Remus worked on creating a detailed map of the palace, while Sirius and Moody worked on sorting through information they were getting from Emmeline in the palace. Dumbledore and McGonagall disappeared to work on normal Order functions. 

James and Lily were mostly confined to the office. As the week progressed and their plan solidified, more and more people filled the warehouse. James was less recognizable, and occasionally ventured outside to talk with essential members in the plan. Lily, however, was recognized by almost everyone, and only left the office at night, with a shawl wrapped tightly over her hair. 

As frustrating as it was in the daytime, night time for Lily was worse. Sirius had somehow convinced everyone that the safest option for James and Lily was to sleep together in the office with only a single cot. Neither of them had really argued - it obviously wasn’t the first time they had slept in the same room, and on top of that, supplies were running low, so why would they get an exception? They were married after all, and no one knew that they’d never actually shared a bed. Besides, if they just agreed sooner, Sirius would stop teasing them sooner. 

The first night, Lily had fallen asleep at the table, hunched over an array of maps and papers. James had returned to the office after she had fallen asleep, and stood over her for a minute, watching her deep breaths. Gently, he reached out and shook her arm. When she barely moved, he bent over next to her, slowly picking up her arm and moving it over his shoulders and carefully helping her stand up. 

“James?” Lily murmured, eyes fluttering open. James tried to repress his smile at the use of his name, but was largely unsuccessful. Mindful of her ankle, he guided her towards the cot. Lily curled on the far side of the bed, and still half asleep, grabbed his wrist with her cold fingers. He froze as she pulled his arm towards her, shocked that she would want to share such a tiny space with him. He resisted at first, not wanting to cross any boundaries and fully intending on taking the floor, but when she held the blanket open for him, he crawled in next to her. 

He put his back to her, smiling softly as he heard her yawn. “Goodnight, Lily,” he said quietly. She didn’t respond, already fast asleep. 

When Lily woke the next morning, James was already gone. And from that point forward, they slept next to each other at night, but never discussed it. At first, Lily was embarrassed that she didn’t care anymore and almost wanted to keep firm boundaries between them. But, with everything going on, it seemed silly to keep fighting over things that could easily be solved by just sharing. On top of that, she had slept better with his back pressed to hers than she had in months, and it also seemed silly to give that up. When this was all over, they would just go back to sleeping separately again - at least, that’s what Lily told herself as James slid in next to her every night.

One morning, James shook Lily awake. There were sounds of commotion outside of the office, and Lily bolted up, wondering if there was an attack. Heart pounding, she instantly reached for her shoes, ready to run if necessary. In the darkness, Lily could see James shake his head. “Relax, Lily. Someone just arrived from the palace.” His voice was deep and scratchy, clearly having just woken up. “I’ll go see who it is.” 

Lily, now wide awake, reached down for her shoes again, wondering who their visitor could be. She glanced up just as James was tugging a shirt over his toned body. Lily was suddenly extremely grateful for the darkness as a blush crept across her cheeks. Had he really been sleeping shirtless next to her this whole time?

James was out the door a few seconds later, with Lily right behind him. As her eyes adjusted to the morning light, she heard James yell and a loud ‘oof’ as he ran at someone. Now more than a little confused, Lily squinted, trying to figure who it was. 

Sirius came flying out of his cot next, hollering. “Pete!”

Lily’s eyes widened as she recognized the man drowning in hugs from James, Sirius, and now Remus. She grinned widely, grateful that he was back. She had been worried, but she knew the boys had been extremely worried about Peter getting out of the palace after the attack. Remus had even visited the Shrieking Shack a couple times to see if he had emerged. 

She stepped forward to greet him as the boys started pulling away, but the noise had brought a lot of attention towards them. Disappointed, she retreated back into the office, wrapping the blanket around her tightly as she watched the scene from the doorway. 

A few minutes later, Peter was led into the office by the boys, followed by Dumbledore and McGonagall. Lily remained on the cot, too tired to move it out of the way, while everyone else settled down. James plopped down next to her, giving her a wide grin as he leaned his back against the wall, their shoulders just barely brushing. Lily was still half asleep as Peter was bombarded with questions, and quietly, she laid her head on James’ shoulder. 

Peter held up his hands, looking nervous with all the attention focused on him. As the room settled, he coughed and started speaking. “I’m really glad I found you guys. These last two weeks were… rough.” Sirius gave him an encouraging pat on the back. “In the council room, I was sitting pretty close to the door. After that first shot, some guard hoisted me up and shoved me towards it. Somehow, I got out before any of the guards on Riddle’s side could get to me. I hid in a spare bedroom for a day, then snuck out through a servant’s passageway.” Peter shrugged. “Nothing crazy, but I was lucky.”

“Where did you go once you were out?” Remus asked. 

“I tried the Shrieking Shack, but you weren’t there and I wasn’t willing to just stay until someone found me. I’ve mostly been hiding the last week, until one of your messengers recognized me from the wanted posters this morning.” His fingers danced nervously along the table top. “I guess I wasn’t very good at hiding if someone recognized me.”

The conversation turned to filling Peter in on how everyone had escaped and what the plan was. And the day began, already busy and hectic.

It was a stretch to get everything done in time. Lily worried the entire week about getting things done by the date they had set, but when it finally arrived, everything was as ready as it could be. They tried to iron out every wrinkle in their plan, but it was impossible. The plan depended too much on the willingness of ordinary citizens to fight, too much on loyalty to the cause, and too much on what Riddle might do. There were just too many variables out of their control. Emmeline had done her best providing information from inside the palace, but she had been sent to the kitchens, and had almost no exposure to Riddle or any leaders of the movement. 

Lily stood next to the cot in the office, her shoulders rigid, and hair pulled back in tight braids. Her role in the plan was relatively simple, and the only weapon she was carrying was a pistol in a chest holster. 

James knocked on the door, and Lily let out a soft “come in.” 

“You ready?” He asked quietly, leaning against the door frame, arms folded. Lily didn’t answer. “Evans?”

Lily finally turned around, smiling slightly. “You know, since we are married, and there’s a good chance we’re about to die, I would think it would be okay to call me Lily now.”

James chuckled, moving to stand next to her. Lily slid her chest holster on, reaching her arms around her back, trying to tighten the straps. The holster was on backwards so that the gun would be hidden under her jacket, and she couldn’t quite reach the clasp. Her hands were shaking because of her nerves, but she tried to brush it off. James’ warm hands stopped hers, gently pushing them away, and helped her tighten the leather bands. He grabbed the gun from her unsteady hands, and slid it into the holster, and grabbed her jacket sitting on the cot. He turned around slowly. She reached out for it, but he didn’t hand it over yet. 

“Lily… Before we do this - I just wanted to let you know that…. That all those things I said about you just wanting power and my throne - I didn’t mean any of that. I was upset about the marriage, my father dying, Riddle - all of it, and I took it out on you.” He pulled a hand through his hair, looking at the ground. “I’m sorry, Lily.”

Lily grabbed his hand, squeezing it tight. “No, James, I’m sorry too. I came in a few weeks after your father died and just started ordering you around. And I said those awful things about you not being ready to be a leader, but… if anything, these last few weeks have proved me wrong.” She laughed a little, looking at the floor. “You are a great leader - and a better king than I could ever be.”

He smirked, and Lily immediately rolled her eyes, swatting his shoulder. “Don’t let it get to your head.”

He raised his hands, feigning innocence. Lily laughed and pushed past him out the door. Now that their plan was in motion, it didn’t matter if anyone saw her. There would be no time to turn her in, and even if they tried, she was about to turn herself in anyway.

When Lily had first proposed this plan, James had nearly lost his mind. 

“You want to WHAT?”

Even Sirius, who was normally the one proposing absurd plans, had looked at her as if she had gone crazy. Now that they were on their way, she suddenly understood the lunacy of this aspect of their plan. Overall, their plan required a bunch of people at the right place and at the right time to open gates, lock certain doors, and cause as much chaos as possible. However, they needed some sort of distraction to prevent Riddle from giving his full attention to the Order. That was where Lily came in. By handing herself over, they were hoping that they could distract Riddle enough from the rest of the palace to give them more time. 

Of course, Riddle was smart enough to not be distracted by Lily simply being captured. However, if she offered to give up names of Order members and perhaps even pretended to work with him, they had a better chance of distracting Riddle. But the plan was relatively simple, and simple tended to be easier and more successful. Needless to say, it still was a risky plan, and no one, especially James, had been happy about it.

Frank was on her left side, while Gideon was on her right, each holding on to an arm, with her hands handcuffed behind her back. Both were dressed in guard uniforms they had stolen from some of Riddle’s patrol units and were marching her down the streets of the city and towards the palace. Lily kept her head held high, which drew a lot of attention from the people on the streets. It was hard to ignore their whisperings as she walked, and she had to fight hard to keep her nervousness under control. 

They stopped briefly when they met another patrol group in the city, and once Frank and Gideon confirmed to the others it really was Lily Evans, the guards formed a large circle around her, both to prevent her from escaping and to prevent anyone from getting too close. Luckily, Frank and Gideon were able to stay close, leading her along to the palace, and to Riddle.

It wasn’t long before they were standing outside of the throne room. Lily’s knees felt weak and she staggered slightly as one of the guards knocked on the door. Frank gripped her arm tighter, giving her an encouraging squeeze. So far, no one had searched her, and her gun was still strapped to her holster on her back, with her bulky jacket hiding it. She briefly wondered how the others were doing, hoping that so far, things were going smoothly.

There was a pause as the door opened. Lily was prodded inside in the cold chamber, and her mind flashed back to the coronation they’d had in this room, not even four months ago. James and Lily’s marble thrones had been replaced by a darker, most sinister looking throne, with a large snake carved along the side. The room seemed colder than she had remembered, and instead of the warmth it used to project, it now felt eerie and haunted. 

As Lily was forced into the middle of the room, she took in the occupants of the room. Riddle was standing in the front of the room, talking with several other council members, and dressed in a long, black robe.

Frank cleared his throat, bowing deeply to Riddle. “We have Lily Evans, Lord Riddle. She was captured on the streets this morning after an incident at the market.” 

Riddle turned around slowly, his eyes immediately catching Lily’s. She stared back, chin held high, determined to not break first. Riddle snapped his fingers and the guards moved a few steps away, but not breaking their circle around her. Frank gave her one last squeeze as he stepped away, taking his steadying reassurance with him. Lily was now completely on her own.

“Lily Evans,” Riddle murmured. He turned his head to the side, studying her carefully. “Lily Evans, delivered right at my feet.” He didn’t move towards her, but stood with a wide stance, watching her. “It was quite… upsetting when you slipped through my fingers in the council room.”

One of the council members standing behind Riddle, shifted slightly, and Lily guessed that Riddle had been far from happy that Lily, James, Remus, Sirius, and Peter had all successfully escaped the palace that day. Letting five unarmed people escape relatively unharmed had to be embarrassing. Riddle hadn’t even been able to hide the fact that they had escaped. Lily and James had been recognized enough as they ran through the streets that the rumors had spread quickly. 

Lily didn’t move, not wanting to give him any satisfaction or response yet, and trained her eyes at the wall directly across from her. He approached slowly, his long robes dragging across the marble floor. 

“And what do I owe this pleasure?”

Again, Lily said nothing, but now, ducked her head slightly. She needed to seem strong, but still able to be persuaded to his side. If she wanted to truly distract Riddle, she had to act like a scared Lily Evans. Riddle was now inside the circle of guards, and within her grasp. She briefly considered trying to run at him, but with her hands cuffed behind her back and surrounded by guards, she quickly gave up on that plan. Not that that would help their plan, but it would make her feel better.

Riddle snapped his fingers, and the guards stepped back again. He reached into his robes and retrieved a long dagger, twirling it in his fingers. “You’ve caused a lot of trouble for me, Lily Evans. I wonder what I should do with you.” 

Before Lily could even react, his dagger flashed and he cut a long stroke across her cheek. He sneered as she ducked her head again, eyes smarting at the fresh pain. She needed to drag this out, hoping to make him think that she’d been living alone and in fear since she’d escaped the palace. “Yaxley’s always said he’s wished he was married to you.”

Yaxley, one of the council members in the back, grinned wolfishly at Lily, his long teeth glinting. Lily jolted - she could have sworn James had killed him in the throne room. How was he alive? But Riddle’s words hit her, and she shivered at the thought of being married to him. Riddle saw her motion and laughed. He snapped his fingers once more, and the guards stepped back again.

Riddle pointed the dagger in between her eyes, eyes glinting dangerously. “Why did you turn yourself in?”

Lily’s brows furrowed. “I didn’t turn myself in,” she said, eyes carefully trained on the dagger. “Your guards caught me in the streets.”

He smiled and the dagger flashed downwards, cutting her left arm deeply. “That’s not what my little birdie told me. You turned yourself in.”

Lily’s jaw clenched tightly. While their plan involved a lot of people, they hadn’t told everyone everything. Only a few people knew her part in the plan, and if Riddle knew she turned herself in, it meant that someone in their close circle had betrayed them. She wasn’t sure if he knew or not yet, but her stomach plummeted as she ran through the possibilities of who it could be. They were all her good friends, people she trusted, and she couldn’t imagine any one of them working with Riddle. 

“Why would I turn myself in?” she said. There was a possibility that he was bluffing, trying to get her to reveal information, and she could push through with their plan. “What are you going to do with me?”

The dagger flicked again, this time nicking her ear. Lily felt the blood creep down her neck, soaking into her shirt. “You and the rest of the Order, who -” he checked the clock on the wall. “- should be joining us in just a minute. It’ll be nice to have the King and Queen back in the throne room one last time, don’t you think?” 

Lily’s face went still. The others weren’t supposed to get to the throne room for another fifteen minutes, and Riddle seemed way too confident in his information. Something was seriously wrong. She ducked her head again, unsure of what to do now. “I’ll give you whatever information you want,” she said softly, hoping to salvage some part of their plan. “If you let me go.”

Riddle leaped forward, grabbing her face in his cold fingers and twisting her head toward the ceiling. She cried out as the dagger drew another long line across her stomach, ripping into her shirt. “Give it up, girl!” He roared. “Your friends are either captured or dead, and the Order is about to be permanently destroyed.”

There was a bang at the door, and Riddle shoved Lily to the ground. More guards entered, and Lily twisted her head to see James, being dragged through the door, bloody and disheveled. He raised his eyes to meet Lily’s but he didn’t even seem to recognize her. Lily’s mind raced as desperation kicked in. She was now on the ground, with most of the guards distracted by the scene at the door. Her hands were still cuffed behind her, so there was no way to reach her gun, but Riddle was standing right in front of her, facing away. 

Lily kicked at his legs, making him stumble next to her. She yanked herself onto her knees, doing to her best to keep her balance before driving her shoulder into him. He stumbled again, and the guards descended onto Lily, pulling her off of Riddle. Frank was one of them, and in the chaos, shoved his hand down the back of her shirt and grabbed the gun. In a blink of an eye, he had it pointed at Riddle and pulled back the safety. 

But he was too slow. By the time he fired, he had already been knocked off his feet by one of the other guards, and in an instant, he was pinned to the ground, blows raining down on him. 

Lily was yanked to her feet and hauled to the steps leading up to the throne. The guards holding James and Gideon lined them up on either side of her. Riddle snapped his fingers, and the guards forced them to their knees.

“Evans,” James croaked. Lily glanced at him, still in shock at what was happening. She had prepared for the worst, but somehow, she hadn’t expected one of their close friends to be the traitor. 

“Who was it?” Lily whispered to herself. Her eyes flicked up to Riddle, now seated on his throne. “Who was it?”

Riddle pointed with his fingers towards the doors again, where Peter was standing, hands clasped nervously in front of him. “Say hello to my new friend Peter Pettigrew. He was very willing to give me information once I offered him a place on my council.”

Lily sat back on her heels, shoulders sagging. Peter was the traitor? Sweet, happy Peter had turned them over to Riddle? Next to her, James took in a deep breath. “I’LL KILL YOU PETER,” he roared, pushing off the guards holding him down. “RAT BASTARD - HOW COULD YOU -” He made it a few steps before more guards appeared, beating him back down into the ground. 

Lily looked away from James, eyes and throat burning. Their plan had failed miserably, and if Riddle was telling the truth, everyone in the palace had already been captured or killed. And if Peter was the traitor, he knew where the Order’s headquarters were, meaning that anyone who had stayed behind was also captured. The Order was finished. 

The guards dropped James in a heap next to Lily, who could only watch as he slowly pulled himself back onto his knees, tilting his head back to stop blood from dripping in his eyes. 

Riddle now walked in a slow circle around them, motioning for the guards to step to the back of the room. “Potter, I was just telling Lily that I was terribly saddened when your father passed away. It’s a shame it happened so soon.” He twirled the dagger in his fingers, Lily’s blood glistening in the pale light. “I wish it hadn’t been so painful for him, but I must admit, he lasted much longer than I thought he would.”

Lily’s jaw dropped, and she turned her head to see James trembling from head to toe. “It was you?” He whispered. 

Riddle waved a casual hand, as if talking about what he wanted for dinner. “I didn’t do it personally, of course. I was hoping after you were King, you’d be more heavily influenced by the council. It was rather unfortunate that you weren’t. Maybe you’d still be king if you’d just listened to what I was trying to say.” 

“You killed my father?” James repeated, louder this time. His body started shaking, trembling with anger. Lily had never even thought that Riddle might have had a hand in the elder Potter’s sudden sickness, but the sudden sickness always seemed a little odd to her. Riddle sat back on his throne, baring his teeth in an attempt at a smile.

James tried to stand, wrenching desperately at his handcuffs. “I’LL MURDER YOU, YOU SON OF A BI-” He ran unsteadily at Riddle, spit flying from his beet red face. Riddle sidestepped him easily. When Potter turned back around, in one fluid motion, Riddle stepped behind Lily, hoisted her up, and held the dagger tightly against her neck. 

James stopped dead in his tracks, staring at her. Riddle laughed, a deep throaty laugh that Lily could feel in her chest. He shook her roughly, pricking her neck just enough for a bead of blood to drip down. 

“One more step boy, and I’ll murder your wife too,” Riddle snarled. James took a step back, pure hatred in his eyes. Lily had never seen him so angry, his eyes bloodshot and every muscle in his body pulled taut. He looked ready to charge at Riddle the second he got an opportunity. 

“You, Ms. Evans, were an unfortunate stitch in my side,” He switched easily from a dark menacing voice to a more conversational tone, but kept the cold dagger against her throat. “I just have a single question for you. I thought I could sway James over to my side, but when you stepped in, he was suddenly not easily influenced. So tell me this - why would Lily Evans, a dirt poor slut from the shanty town, marry James, but fight to get rid of your power? You already had everything you needed - power, wealth, fame - so why get rid of it?”

Lily closed her eyes, trying to steady herself. When she opened them, she was surprised to see James had calmed down, but was watching her carefully. “I never wanted any of that. All I wanted was to fix our problems.”

Riddle laughed deeply. “Ah Lily, we are fighting for the same things here. We’re both trying to get rid of the filth that fills the streets.” Lily twisted suddenly so that she slipped out of his grasp before he could grab her, furious. She felt nauseous at his words, backing away from him. “You are a lying bastard, Riddle. We were _never fighting for the same thing.”_

Like a snake, Riddle drew his arm back and threw the dagger at her. She let out a cry of pain as it buried itself deeply in her stomach. Looking down, her eyes saw stars as she saw the blood seeping from her stomach. With her hands tied behind her back, she couldn’t stop the flow, and lost her balance, tumbling to the floor. James was instantly by her side, doing his best with tied hands to put pressure on the wound. “Hey, hey, Evans, it’s gonna be alright. We’re gonna get out of this, just -” 

Lily tried to twist to the side so that she could grab his hand, desperate for contact and assurance that he was there. Her mind was foggy with pain and blood loss, and she knew there was a chance she might not see James again.

Riddle shouted for the guards, who ripped the two of them apart, James doing his best to wiggle away from them. He was too tired to fight, and within a few seconds, was standing unsteadily, facing Riddle. 

“Both of you will be facing public execution tomorrow at noon. Take them downstairs,” Riddle ordered. “Your attempt to takeover has failed, and your friends will be joining you tomorrow.” 

He cast one long look at them, disdain apparent on his face before storming out of the room, black robes billowing around him. Lily barely registered Riddle’s words, eyes going in and out of focus. She thought she could hear James and Frank yelling, fighting weakly with their guards, but the guards lifted her to her feet. When she couldn’t even stand, the guards grabbed her by the collar and dragged her, facedown out of the room, with the knife still embedded in her stomach. 

There was a wrench in her side, she might have screamed, and her eyes slid shut.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry about the cliffhanger :) see you soon!
> 
> find me on tumblr @jilyss


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just wanted to quickly say thank you so much for reading!! hope you all enjoyed this fic :)

When Lily finally woke, she laid still for a minute. She was lying on her back on a cold stone floor, her head propped on some sort of pillow. Her eyes felt heavy and her mouth felt full of cotton. Slowly and painfully, she pried her eyes open. 

James was sitting next to her with his head in his hands, leaning his back against the prison cell’s wall. Two guards were standing just outside the bars, watching them closely. James was silent except for his breathing, but he looked utterly exhausted. Lily’s fingers twitched against her thigh and her breath hitched slightly at the pain from the simple movement. 

James’ head shot up, his brown eyes softening as they met hers. “Lily?”

Lily’s throat constricted tightly and she shut her eyes tightly against the sudden stinging in her eyes. James grabbed her hand, lacing his fingers between hers gently. “How are you feeling?”

Lily shook her head, eyes still closed. She couldn’t form a coherent thought about how she was feeling right now. She let go of his hand and attempted to sit up, but when a stabbing pain shot through her stomach, she gasped and settled back down. Her fingers leapt to her stomach, which was now covered in bandages.

“They got you all stitched up.” James’ voice was hoarse and cracked on the final word. “Guess you have to be alive to be executed, right?”

Against her will, she smiled. Of course she could count on James to crack a joke about their execution. If it didn’t hurt, she might’ve laughed. She forced her eyes back open to examine him. He had a swollen black eye that took up half his face, and several deep cuts with blood still trickling down. “Are you okay?”

He shrugged. “I’ll be alright.”

“Where’s Frank?”

He shrugged again. “I haven’t seen him or anyone else since the throne room. Gideon stayed quiet, so it’s possible he got out.”

Lily nodded, trying to process some of the last couple hours. She tried to run through any possible escape scenarios or anything they could do to get out of this. But her head hurt, and it didn’t take long to ditch any escape plan. They had no backup plan, all their friends were captured, and because of Peter, the Order was finished. She sighed and closed her eyes again. “What time is it?”

James picked up a loose rock and tossed it at the far wall. “Dunno. I lost track.”

They fell quiet. Lily tried to sit up again, letting out a gasp as she pulled at her stitches. James grabbed her shoulders, helping her shift so that her head was now propped up against his thigh. She grabbed his hand again, threading her fingers through his and laying it on top of her stomach.

“If I ever see that son of a bitch again, I’ll kill him,” James whispered. He dropped his head into his hands. “I… I’ll kill him.”

Lily pulled his hand back down and squeezed it, brushing her thumb over his wedding ring. It made her sick to even think about Peter right now, but she had only known him for a couple months. Although she wasn’t super close with him, she had always found him friendly and cheerful, if a little anxious. James, however, had practically grown up with him. The four of them were inseparable, and Lily had always admired their loyalty to each other. Peter betraying them to Riddle had to be eating James away on the inside. Maybe in the future, Lily would have been able to comfort James, help him process his anger. But right now, all she could do was hold his hand, letting him know that she was there.

At some point, both of them drifted off to sleep, still holding hands. In what Lily assumed was the next morning, there was a commotion as the guards switched shifts. Her eyes flickered open, watching as the new guards talked for a minute before the old guards. She half expected them to come in and yank them out, but they simply stood, watching them. 

James woke a minute later, shifting his legs underneath him. Lily grunted at the movement, letting go of his hand quickly. Slowly, she rolled herself up, and with James’ help, scooted up so that her back was against the wall. He ran a hand through his hair and over his stubble, yawning.

They stayed mostly quiet, occasionally talking or dozing off. The cold stone floor seeped into her bones, and her body hurt all over. Lily’s stomach growled loudly, and James teased her for a minute before his stomach did too. Lily had just opened her mouth to tease him back, doing anything to keep her mind off what was coming next, when a door opened down the hallway. More guards filed in. As the guards opened the cell, James stood on shaky legs. One hand braced against the wall, he held out his hand to Lily. She took it gratefully, groaning in pain as she pulled herself up. The guards entered the cell, grabbing them roughly and tying their hands behind their backs. 

They led them out of the cell, up several flights of stairs, and towards a covered wagon. Four guards surrounded each of them, which Lily found unnecessary considering she couldn’t even walk straight. James wasn’t doing much better than her, but was able to walk on his own, albeit slowly. 

One of the guards Lily recognized as one who often had stood outside her and James’ bedroom at night. He was generally quiet, but Lily had stopped to talked to him occasionally. Without hesitating, she spat in his face, disgusted at his change in loyalty. In an instant, he was on her, throwing a fist into her stomach. 

James nearly lost his guards as he jumped towards her, doing his best to prop her up with his hands tied behind his back. Lily felt nauseous at the punch and leaned heavily on James. She could feel James’ taught muscles next to her, and she could tell he wanted nothing more than to go after the guard. Instead, he let out a low, dangerous growl, staring down the now fearful guard. 

The other guards prodded them forward, and when she finally straightened, she glanced down at her shirt. Fresh blood seeped through her bandages, and from the sharp pain in her side, she guessed she had pulled her stitches.

As they climbed the steps into the wagon, James tried to say something to her. Lily shook her head, unable to form a coherent sentence with the fresh pain radiating through part of her body. He fell quiet behind her, and as they stepped over the ledge and into the wagon, sat next to her, leaning his shoulder against her in silent support. The inside of the wagon was packed with guards, and Lily scooted even closer to James to avoid touching the guard next to her. She glanced down at her shirt, the bottom half now coated in blood, but there wasn’t much she could do about it. She looked away quickly, staring out at the horses at the front of the wagon.

Within a few minutes, the wagon took off. The jolting of the wagon added to her discomfort, and Lily leaned her head on James’ shoulder, grateful for his support. Through a gap in the canvas, they watched the palace grow smaller behind them, and Lily had a sickening feeling she wouldn’t be back anytime soon. Before, she hadn’t really considered it her home, but it was the closest thing she had had to a home in a while. Now, she wished more than anything that they could go back. They crossed the bridge, and as they entered the city, the sounds of crowds grew louder and louder. 

The wagon stopped in what Lily guessed was Pike’s Market, based on what she could see through the gap. This is where James and Lily made their frequent shopping trips, and she guessed Riddle wanted to make a statement with their execution. Through the gap, they could see more wagons arrive, lining up on one edge of the square.

A few guards exited the wagon, giving them all a little more breathing room. Lily lifted her head, expecting James to scoot out a little further so that she wasn’t practically sitting on him, but instead, he motioned with his shoulder for her to lay her head back down. She half smiled and did so, turning her head from watching the gap to staring at the canvas in front of her. James laid down his head on top of hers, exhaling as he did so.

James opened his mouth, and Lily could feel his warm breath on her hair. But he closed it with an audible click, and swallowed hard. Lily lifted her head up, looking directly into his eyes. She had so many things she wanted to say to him - apologies, confessions, and simple questions - but it was too late to say anything, and instead, she just watched his brown eyes, wondering why she hadn’t appreciated their beauty before. 

His eyes flickered as she watched him, and for a second, Lily forgot about what was happening outside, and the guards watching them on the inside. James moved a fraction of an inch closer and waited, eyes still trained on hers. She didn’t move. He moved closer again, and this time, Lily mirrored him. They waited a breath apart from each other, hearts pounding. 

James moved first, brushing his bruised lips against hers gently, as if asking permission. Lily didn’t hesitate to respond, practically melting against him. It was a sloppy, messy, and desperate kiss, as if they finally realized that this was their last day on earth. 

They broke apart after a few seconds, hearts beating out of their chests and staring at each other. Lily bit her lip and ducked her head, smiling softly. James chuckled next to her, leaning against the wagon and tipping his head back. She leaned her head back on his shoulder, taking steadying breaths as she tried to process what had just happened. 

There was a loud shout outside, and the back flap flew open. Lily jerked her head off of James’ shoulder as reality sunk back into her. Any previous happy feelings flew out the window and the guard gestured for her to climb out. Just past him, she could see a hastily erected stage at the front of the square, with hundreds of people waiting. She took a deep breath and stood, shaking off the guards who tried to hold on to her. 

It started as a murmur, and then grew into a roar as the crowd noticed Lily and James exiting the wagon. Once she was on the ground, Lily paused, looking around at the wagons near them. In one of them, she could see a shaggy brown head belonging to Sirius, but couldn’t see anyone else. James nudged her shoulder, gesturing with his chin at the stage. “My guess is that we’ll go last.”

Lily nodded. Riddle would want to make a big show of their execution, and killing the king and queen would be the main event. The guards shoved at their backs and they stumbled forward towards the stage. James went first, straightening his back and holding his chin high as they made their way to the stage. Lily followed, matching his proud posture, wishing she could reach out and squeeze his hand. It was hard being brave by yourself.

As they walked, the crowd began shouting at them. Some of it was shouting, directed at Lily and James, some of it shouting at the guards, and Lily noticed, even some crying. For a moment, Lily scanned the crowd, trying to see if she recognized anyone, but her throat tightened and she looked away as she saw the range of emotions in the crowd. One lady in particular, standing against the barricade, was holding a handkerchief to her face, crying silently as she watched the procession.

The guards marched them to the back of the stage, facing out at the crowd. In front of them were three wooden blocks and one massive sword, and just below, guards surrounded the entire stage. Lily tried to ignore the scene in front of her, keeping her eyes trained on the horizon, and doing everything she could to stay steady on her feet. A few seconds later, Sirius, Remus, Emmeline, Frank, and several other Order members were marched to the front of the stage, each handcuffed behind their backs. As her friends walked in front of her, Lily tried to smile at them. They all stood tall, heads held high, and her heart hurt watching them. She scanned their faces, relieved to see that for the most part, they looked unharmed. Not all of the people who had been part of the palace piece of the plan were there, and she hoped that some of them had gotten away. But, she knew that if Peter had told Riddle about the Order headquarters, many of her friends were probably already dead. 

A ripple went through the crowd as Riddle arrived, dressed in a long black cloak. He climbed the steps slowly, with Peter at his heels. A large, bulky man followed them, and Lily guessed he was the executioner. Lily felt a flash of anger course through her at seeing Peter, and she wasn’t alone. Next to her, James leaned forward, ready to pounce at Peter, held back only by his guards. Lily glanced at him, but he was focused on Peter, watching with loathing in his eyes. 

Riddle moved to the front of the stage and spread his arms wide. “Here, I give you traitors to your country.” A murmur flew through the crowd again. Lily scanned it, desperately looking for Order members, hoping against hope that someone was there to help them. She didn’t want to see her friends die.

Riddle continued, pacing the length of his stage with his hands clasped behind his back. “Your King and Queen were nothing but power-hungry leaders who had no interest in helping you - only themselves!”

There was a shout at the back of the crowd, and Lily’s eyes strained to see who it was. The guards descended on the offender within seconds, and the person was silenced. Riddle pointed at Sirius, Emmeline, and Frank to be moved forward first. Sirius spat at Riddle, but he was too far away to do any damage. 

There was more shouting in the crowd as the guards prodded the three of them next to the wooden boxes. Lily took a quick breath. “Riddle is a death eater, he -” she yelled. A guard clamped a hand over her mouth, pulling her back tightly. 

Next to her, James picked up where she had been stopped. “Riddle rules in fear -” he got out before his guards stopped him. There was more shouting in the crowd and more guards appeared to remove the offenders. Lily tried to shake her guard off by biting his hand, which only resulted in a blow to her stomach, placed almost exactly on her injury. She screamed, falling to the floor without being able to use her hands to catch herself. James was faring no better next to her, yelling at Peter and wrestling with his guards. 

Lily lay on the ground, looking out at the crowd. There was too much shouting in the crowd for the guards to contain now, and Lily wanted to smile at the sight of them fighting back against Riddle. Riddle might have won, but it wouldn’t be easy for him to gain complete control anytime soon. 

Riddle ignored the crowd and gestured for the bulky man to approach. He grabbed the sword, swinging it expertly a few times in the air before nodding in approval. The guards grabbed Sirius first, shoving him down and onto the block. Sirius, now down on his knees, refused to bow his head, staring at the crowd proudly. Riddle snapped his fingers again, and the guards started to beat him using the blunt end of their guns. Sirius stayed quiet, lifting his head to look back at the crowd after each blow. Lily stared at the scene, unable to comprehend what she was about to see. Her heart was beating a mile a minute, and all she could do was watch. She glanced at James, whose face was pulled in a mixture of pride and anger as he watched his best friend.

There was a piercing scream in the crowd, and Lily swung her head back around. A large object launched through the air, flying just to the left of Lily. She had just enough time to duck her head before it smashed onto the floor of the stage and exploded in a fiery ball. The two guards on her left side yelped as the fire spread over their clothes, engulfing them in flames. Lily, still on the floor, hastily crawled away as the fire caught onto the wood and began spreading rapidly. Her remaining guards tried to pull her up and away, but another flying object appeared.

This time, she had just enough time to see it was a molotov cocktail before it smashed next to her, this time on her right side. The fire missed the guards, but spread over the stage, immediately lighting the wooden boards. Lily could feel the flames creeping closer and bigger as the heat grew stronger. Her two guards hoisted her up by her elbows, wrenching her side in the process, and started dragging her off the stage. James, just ahead of her, was practically being carried by his four guards as he tried to break away.

More cocktails flew through the air, aimed at empty stage space and clearly designed to cause chaos. Lily dropped to her knees as another one flew above her, and the explosion of flames took out one more of her guards. Her lone remaining guard grabbed her the back of her shirt and hauled her upright, lugging her down the steps. Her vision was swimming with each step, her stomach wound was sending pulsing pain throughout her entire body. Lily tried to turn around to see what was happening in the crowd. She could hear them screaming, and more bottles smashing against the stage. 

Lily glanced behind her to see several figures from the crowd climb onto the stage, armed with pistols. Riddle was surrounded by guards, with a now angry crowd on one side, and a growing fire behind him. For a second, she thought she saw Gideon, but her guard twisted her neck back around so that she was staring at the ground before she could get a good look. 

James had been just ahead of her, but with only one guard to move her along, Lily was considerably slower. James’ guards were too far away to help now, and Lily decided to take her chance. She doubted anyone would even hear her guard in the chaos.

Gritting her teeth against the pain, she dropped to the ground, using her dead weight to catch the guard off balance. She grunted at the stabbing pain in her stomach, rolling as she hit the ground. Lily rolled, kicking out with her legs so that she swung directly into the guard’s legs, making him lose his balance completely and sending him tumbling to the ground next to her. Lily attempted to get up, but with her stomach pain and her hands cuffed her back, her guard was on top of her in an instant.

As she lay with her face pressed down into the dirt, tears streaked down Lily’s cheeks. Her mind felt numb with pain and desperation. There was no way she could escape from her guard anymore, and she had lost track of where her friends were. In the distance, she could hear even more explosions and screaming. Even if they hadn’t been killed yet, there was a chance that they had been injured from the fires. 

In front of her, Lily could see James fighting a losing battle with his guards as they forced him up into a wagon. He looked even weaker than he had been before. Lily blinked away her tears rapidly, and shifted her head, trying to get another glimpse of the scene on stage.

Before she could get a good look, an enormous _boom_ rocked the stage, throwing the guard off of Lily. He lay, stunned, a few feet away from her. Lily could feel the heat from the blast singe her clothes, and realized that there was a dull ringing in her ears. She looked at the stage, now completely engulfed in flames, and then back at her guard.

Lily looked back at the stage, and in what seemed to be eternity, she staggered to her feet. She stared at the stage, watching figures move in the flames. Her friend’s faces flashed in her mind, and her eyes narrowed. Slowly, she took a step forward, and then another, and another, until she seemed to be running. Her guard stayed back, clearly no longer interested in chasing Lily towards an inferno. 

Ash and debris rained down from the sky. Guards and any remaining crowd members ran past Lily as she ran towards the front of the stage, which was still mostly intact. She could see Riddle, still surrounded by guards, marching away from the stage and towards the wagons. He was too far away to see her, and Lily’s priority wasn’t killing him at the moment. She needed to find her friends, and find James. If the guards took James to a different location, it might be impossible to find him again. 

She wove through bodies on the ground and pieces of burning lumber, stumbling with almost every step. The smoke stung her eyes and burned her throat. A figure ran by her, brushing shoulders with her, then stopped and grabbed her arm. 

“Evans?”

It was Sirius, and Lily choked back a heavy sob. The executioner hadn’t been successful, and the relief she felt surge through her was immense. Sirius was no longer handcuffed and was holding a gun. Lily pointed with her head at the direction of Riddle. “Riddle! He’s getting away!”

Sirius held up a key and spun her around, quickly releasing her from the handcuffs. “Gideon’s got Em and Remus.” 

“What?” Lily shouted. Her ears were still ringing and she could only see his mouth move. He grabbed a gun from a fallen guard and handed it to her, then yelled into her ear. “Gideon’s got Em and Remus. We can’t let that son of a bitch get away.” 

He took off at a sprint, and now that her hands were free, Lily could move much faster. She followed him away from the stage and after Riddle, glancing down at the blood dripping from her stomach. She shook her head quickly, trying to dispel the worry in her mind. This was their last chance, and she couldn’t be distracted. 

Riddle was predictable, and had retreated to the wagons. Three of which were on fire, thanks to more cocktails, and two remaining carriages’ horses were going berserk. More guards were trying to calm the horses, but the continuous fire and explosions weren’t helping. As they approached, Lily looked for Riddle, trying to spot him through the smokey air. Sirius skidded to a halt next to her, ducking behind an overturned cart as the guards spotted them. He peered over the edge, aiming his gun towards them. He fired once, then again, taking out two of the guards. Lily kneeled next to him, trying to aim her gun, but she was so dizzy that she doubted she could even hit the side of a barn at the moment. 

Instead, she turned to their back, checking to make sure no one was sneaking up behind them. Sirius fired again, swearing religiously as he missed. Then he grabbed her shoulder, shaking her roughly. Lily swung back around, peering over the cart. 

“ _Shit_.”

Riddle was walking out from behind a wagon, using James as a shield and pointing a pistol directly into his head. Lily’s stomach plunged at the sight. “It’s over, Ms. Evans,” Riddle spat, digging the gun a little harder into James. He walked slowly towards them, prodding James in front of him. “I know you won’t kill me because you won’t sacrifice your husband to do it.” 

Lily swallowed hard. James stared at her, face completely blank.

Sirius rose so that his head was now visible over the cart. “The Order is closing in on you, Riddle. How do you think you’re going to get away with this?” 

Lily looked around. Remus was standing behind a piece of fallen lumber to their right, with a gun aimed at Riddle. Frank was standing next to him, unarmed but holding a piece of cloth against a head wound. Lily glanced down back at her stomach, placing a hand over the sticky wound. 

The guards had managed to get the horses under control, and were now piling into the wagons. One shouted for Riddle, who grabbed James’ neck and walked him backwards. “The Order is finished,” he shouted, eyes reflecting the orange light. He took one step into the carriage, the gun still firmly placed against James’ skull. 

James’ eyes flickered from Lily’s to Sirius, and Lily suddenly understood what he was going to do. Hands still shaking, and one now covered in blood, she aimed her gun. “Sirius, aim at Riddle.”

Sirius frowned. “What do you think I’m -” 

As Riddle took another step backwards into the carriage, James dropped to the ground, using the momentum to break free of Riddle. Riddle staggered at the sudden weight change, and as James rolled underneath the carriage, Lily fired, hitting Riddle squarely in the chest. Next to her, Sirius fired, and in the distance, she could hear more guns going off. Riddle dropped to the ground.

Lily dropped to her knees, her legs no longer strong enough to hold her up. The gun slipped from her fingers, clattering against the ground, her fingers now numb. Everything seemed to be moving so _slowly_ and she couldn’t understand why everything was getting so dark. Sirius was shaking her, yelling something, but she couldn’t make out what he was saying. She was so _tired_ , and Riddle was dead, so she could sleep now. She forced her eyes open enough to crack a tired smile at Sirius, and then she fell asleep.

Lily’s eyes flew open as her entire body jerked awake. She had been dreaming - something terrible - but her brain felt fuzzy, and now she couldn’t remember what she had been dreaming about. The room was spinning in a slow circle, making her stomach flip flop. Her entire body felt heavy, and she shifted her head just enough to look down at her right arm on the bed. She wiggled her fingers, wincing at the pain that flew up her arm.

She carefully looked around at her surroundings, trying to stop the spinning. She recognized the palace’s hospital, with long rows of occupied beds. She could only see two nurses on the opposite side, each pushing a cart of food, and other than their footsteps, the room was mostly quiet.

Lily was at the far end of the room, right next to the entrance. She frowned as she realized she didn’t recognize anyone in the room. As far as she could tell, there were no guards posted outside of the room. Had Riddle returned? Or had another death eater taken over? 

A pit formed in Lily’s stomach. Even if she had killed Riddle, there would be another one to replace him. There was no way the Order had succeeded. It was impossible. 

Lily sat up carefully, holding her bandaged stomach with one hand. The nurses had disappeared behind a curtain, and everyone else seemed to be asleep. She swung her feet over the edge of the bed, letting her body adjust to the change in position, and tried to shake off some of the black dots that swarmed her vision. Surveying her surroundings, she found a metal food tray sitting on a cabinet next to her bed. 

Lily checked over her shoulder. As quietly as she could, she moved the food off the tray and underneath the bed, hoping it would be out of sight. Then, she moved the food to her bed and checked over her shoulder again. The nurses were still behind the curtain, and carefully, Lily stood up, balancing unevenly on her bare feet, and when she was somewhat steady, shuffled towards the door. 

There were no guards outside, and the hallway was eerily empty. Once the door had shut silently behind her, Lily braced a hand against the wall, exhausted by the few steps she had taken. She considered her options. She knew she wasn’t strong enough to get out of the palace - the last few minutes had proved that - but the throne room wasn’t far away. If Riddle or another death eater had regained power, that’s where they would be. At least Lily could do some damage. 

She straightened, one hand still holding her stomach, the other gripping the metal tray tightly. All she was wearing a loose hospital gown, and the cold floor seeped into her bare feet. It took her almost ten minutes to make it down the hallway and up the flight of stairs to the throne room. When she was standing outside the door, she had to stop again, leaning her back against the wall and tipping her head back. Sweat was pouring down her face, and her vision was going black again. Just inside the throne room, she could hear multiple voices speaking in low tones. 

Gritting her teeth, she forced herself off the wall and heaved open the door. The effort alone made her vision disappear almost entirely, and all she could see was several figures moving towards her. She swung her metal tray blindly at the first one, letting out a grunt as her stitches opened. There was a shout as it made contact with something, and the force of the impact caught her off guard.

She stumbled to her knees, and blinked rapidly to try to make sense of who was in the room. Someone was yelling at her, but she could barely see and couldn’t understand what they were saying. She swung again, this time hitting only air. Someone wrenched the tray from her, so she tried to get back onto her feet, but a pair of strong arms pinned her arms to her side, holding her tightly. Lily tried to resist, but there was more shouting, more figures appearing, and she fell into the black hole once more. 

It took Lily much longer to wake up the second time. Her eyes wouldn’t open at first, and she had to concentrate hard to force them open. The room was blurry, and for a while, she just stared at the ceiling, trying to remember what had happened. She was in the same bed as before, but there was more noise in the room. Lily’s eyes flicked back to the door, expecting to see guards surrounding her after her attempt to get into the throne room. 

Instead, Sirius was sleeping in a chair next to her bed, his head propped up on his elbow. She watched him, trying to determine if this was a trick. 

“Sirius?”

His eyes shot open and he leaped forward, staring at Lily. “You’re awake!”

Lily wasn’t sure whether to smile or frown. She was more confused than ever and was already exhausted again. “Where - Who…?”

He grinned broadly at her. “We’re alright Evans, you’re alright.”

Lily relaxed slightly, letting his smile ease some of her worries. He wouldn’t be so happy if the Order had lost. But she had too many questions crowding her brain, and she just stared at him. He patted her hand. “You’re safe now.”

She nodded slightly, still not fully believing him. “How…?”

“Riddle’s dead. You passed out right after you shot him. The doctor said you’d lost too much blood.”

Lily frowned, now remembering the last time she was awake. “Did I try to take you out?”

Sirius’ grin grew. “Yeah. You looked like death itself, but you came swinging into that throne room ready to take everyone out.”

Lily’s fingers clenched on the bed. “Did I hurt anyone?”

“No. One guard got a nasty headache, but he’ll live.”

Lily closed her eyes. “’m sorry.”

He snorted. “Don’t be. We shouldn’t have left you alone. After… everything happened, we were low on doctors so we couldn’t put you alone in your room. We didn’t really think about how confused you probably would be. But after the throne room incident, we’ve had someone in here with you 24/7.”

“How long have I been asleep?”

“It’s been three days since you shot Riddle. The doctors were starting to get worried.”

Lily processed this, staring at the ceiling. Three days was a long time, and she could feel her stomach reminding her of the time that had passed. “And everyone’s okay?”

“We’re all pretty beat up, but everyone’s okay.”

Lily’s eyes closed again. She was already exhausted again, and just wanted to go back to sleep. Sirius stood up. “I’m going to go get a doc, alright? You probably need something to eat.”

She tried to nod, relieved in so many ways, but her exhaustion took back over, and she fell back asleep. 

Lily stayed in the hospital for another week. The first few days she mostly slept, waking up occasionally to eat or talk to whoever was sitting with her. As the week progressed, she got more and more restless, ready to resume her role as Queen and help the country get back on its feet. It was getting harder and harder to fall asleep, and what little sleep she was getting, was usually full of nightmares and replays of the past few weeks. Needless to say, she was ready to get out of the hospital wing. 

One morning, James came to see her once right as a nurse was helping her get out of bed. Lily was sitting on the edge of the bed, squeezing her eyes shut as waves of pain washed over her from the simple movement of sitting up. The nurse had one hand on her wrist, checking her pulse and was muttering quietly to herself. 

James watched her from the doorway, not wanting to embarrass Lily. He’d visited once before when she had been in a lot of pain, but she had tried to act like she was okay. He doubted she remembered any of their brief conversation. Lily was stubborn, and hated being the weak one. James knew trying to coddle her would just make her angry, so he stayed quiet as she got her bearings. When she finally opened her eyes, getting ready to stand, he walked forward and grabbed her hand to steady her.

“Hey Evans.”

Lily looked up, then smiled. “Your face looks better than the last time I saw you.”

James smirked, running a hand over his chin. “I think the bruises add a nice rugged edge to my good looks.”

She rolled her eyes. He had survived the run-in with Riddle and the explosions without any major injuries, just a few broken ribs, a black eye, and several stitches on his face. Overall, he’d been pretty lucky. Remus had broken his leg and was currently on crutches, Sirius had a burned hand, and Emmeline had gotten a concussion from the big blast. 

The nurse took Lily’s other hand, and with James’ help, Lily stood up. She smiled at him gratefully, taking his offered arm and leaning on it heavily. The nurse looked over her glasses at James. “She needs to move around for a minute. Don’t let her walk on her own, and don’t let her go too fast.”

James nodded his understanding, and as the nurse moved away, he helped her walk towards the hospital wing door, walking slowly alongside Lily. “Sorry I haven’t been able to visit much. It’s been crazy. I know Remus has been keeping you updated, but we’ve pretty much scraped the old council entirely.”

“He said you’re planning to have elections for the council positions.”

“Yeah, I wanted to talk to you about that, actually.” He pointed towards a door leading towards the gardens. “Do you want to go outside?”

Lily smiled eagerly. She didn’t think the nurse would be too happy about that, but laying in a bed all day was making her go crazy, and she was desperate for fresh air. “Yes please.”

Once they were outside, Lily took in a deep breath, tilting her head back to feel the sun. James paused next to her. “Where did you even get that idea? We’ve never talked about it before.”

He glanced at her, using his free hand to run through his hair. “Yes we have.”

Lily frowned. “No - I don’t think I ever brought it up because that was too radical of an idea. Obviously, nobody in the council would go for that idea, so I never brought it up. Maybe in a couple years but…”

James shook his head. “You brought it up the first time we met. You were listing off a bunch of things you wanted to get done, and I’ve thought about it ever sense.”

“Really? You remember that?”

He smirked. “You kind of made it hard to forget, Evans. You also told me I was a terrible king and that I wasn’t doing anything for the country.”

Lily smacked his arm. “I did not say you were a _terrible_ king.”

“I read between the lines.”

Lily laughed. He had a point. She had gone into that first meeting angry at him, projecting everything that was wrong with the country on him. In reality, he’d been just as frustrated with the state of things as her, but didn’t know where to even begin. “We’ve come a long way.”

He looked at her, smiling. They stared at each other for a second, and the look in his eyes suddenly reminded Lily of their shared moment in the wagon when they’d kissed. Neither of them had brought it up since, and Lily had mostly forgotten about it. 

Except, it was hard to forget about it. With all her time in a hospital bed recently, she had a lot of time to think. And she had decided that it had only happened because they had thought they were about to die. Their emotions had been all over the place, and it was reasonable that it came out in odd ways. But if it really was just the stress of an execution that made them kiss, why did she have so much trouble forgetting about it now?

Lily broke the eye contact, spotting a bench a few steps away. “Do you mind if we sit?”

James led her towards the bench, helping her sit down with minimal pain. Lily was glad she was outside, but was already exhausted from their short walk and was doing her best to hide it. 

James was quiet, watching a gardener in the distance prune a rose bush. She reached up with her hand to feel his bruise, tracing the colors around his eye. He shivered as her hand whispered over his skin. She pulled away quickly, looking back at the ground. “I’m sorry about Peter.”

His fists clenched tightly in his lap. For a second, Lily regretted bringing it up, but she knew he needed to talk about it. Keeping your emotions bottled up wasn’t good, especially when your best friend had utterly betrayed you. James opened his mouth several times, trying to come up with the right words. He finally cleared his throat. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

Lily nodded next to him. There was time to talk about it later, and knowing him, she thought that so far, he had probably tried to ignore it. But to her surprise, he continued. “I… He was always one of us, you know?” His voice cracked. “I loved him. We all did.”

“I guess Riddle scared him pretty bad.”

James was quiet for a minute, shoulders hunched over. “I’m glad he died in the explosion. If we had him in prison… I don’t know if I could -” he fought to keep the anger down in his voice, taking a deep breath. “I don’t know what I would do.”

Lily squeezed his hand, lacing her fingers through his.

“Is it wrong to say that I’m glad he’s dead?”

Lily had no idea. She hadn’t known Peter on the close level that James, Sirius, and Remus did, but it had still hurt deeply that he’d betrayed them. She couldn’t imagine what they felt. And what made it worse was that Peter hadn’t even tried to protect them. Based on information found in Riddle’s office and through interrogating former council members, it seemed like Riddle didn’t have a lot of trouble scaring Peter enough to betray his best friends.

Of all the boys, James seemed to be taking it the worst. From her bedside conversations with everyone, Remus had mostly moved on and Sirius was stuck in pure hatred. But James seemed to be torn between understanding why he’d done it and hating him, which seemed like it was causing even more hurt. 

“I don’t know,” Lily said softly. James leaned back, closing his eyes. 

“Do you want to head back?” He asked, and ran a hand over his eyes, jaw clenching tightly. Lily could tell he didn’t want to talk about Peter anymore and nodded. He put an arm around her waist, mindful of her stitches, and helped her up. 

Once she had steadied herself on her feet, she expected him to drop his arm, but as they began walking, his arm stayed wrapped around her. She found herself leaning into him, grateful that he was by her side. 

Remus came to see her a few hours later, smiling brightly. Lily was reading a book, still not allowed to do any work, and quickly put it aside, grateful for more company. 

“Hi, Remus, how are you?”

“I’ve got some good news,” he said, rubbing his hands together excitedly. Lily pulled herself up slightly higher on the bed, grunting at the effort. “James wanted to tell you himself, he’s been trying to figure it for the past few days, but we just barely got word, and she’s safe now-”

“-Remus, just spit it out,” Lily laughed. James hadn’t mentioned anything to her this morning, and she had no idea what he was talking about. 

“James tracked down Alice! She was being held at the Riddle Manor. Our soldiers were able to finally do a full scan this morning, and we just got word from Dumbledore that she’s safe. She’s being sent to a hospital in the city.”

Lily gasped, tears immediately filling her eyes. “They found her? Is she ok?”

Remus grabbed a chair and sat down, scooting close to the bed. “She’s a little bruised, but Dumbledore said he’s confident she will make a full recovery. Sounds like Riddle tried to get information out of her, but she played the innocent role well enough and made it out ok.”

“Can I go see her?” 

Remus shook his head. “The doctors don’t want to move her, and you can’t leave yet either. I can have a letter sent over, if you want?”

She nodded quickly, letting a few tears spill onto her cheeks. Remus squeezed her hand and walked over to a nurse, muttering something about a pen and paper. As he walked away, Lily breathed a huge sigh as a huge wave of relief crashed over her. Alice had been on her mind a lot, but in the last month other things had taken priority, and if she was being honest, she hadn’t expected her to still be alive. When Remus returned, she scribbled out a hasty note and handed it to him, still shaking slightly from the emotions running through her. 

James visited her again the next day, and if it wasn’t for her stitches, Lily would have wrapped him up in a big hug. “You found Alice!”

James smiled broadly. “Yeah, I remembered you had mentioned that you thought she was being held in the Riddle manor. We had to do a full search of his house anyway, but trying to find anyone held captive was our first priority. We found a few other prisoners, and Alice.” He glanced down at his hands. “Luckily, she was mostly healthy. I guess she somehow convinced them that she didn’t know anything.”

“Did you talk to her?”

He nodded, shoving a hand through his hair. “Yeah, but not for too long. We found her late at night, so I took her statement and then the nurses wanted her to get some sleep. I told her you would want to see her right away.” He glanced back up at her, now smiling again. “She hadn’t heard any news from the outside, and she got a little confused when I told her that we got married.”

Lily tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear. “A lot has happened.”

“Yeah.” He stood up, shoving his hands in his pockets. “I got a meeting in ten minutes, but I just wanted to check in.”

Lily felt her eyes well up again and furiously tried to blink them away. “Thank you, James, for finding her.”

He blushed, putting his hand on the back of his neck and looking down at his shoes. “It’s no problem. I’m glad she’s safe.” He glanced towards the door, but then pulled a chair next to the bed. “I know it’s not really any of my business, but did you want to contact your family, or anything, to let them know you're safe? I know you aren’t really that close, but I wasn’t sure if…” He trailed off, clearly unsure of what to say. 

Lily’s eyes widened. She hadn’t even thought about her mother and sister since she had been in the hospital. Horrible images flashed through her mind of what Riddle might have done to them. If he thought they had been helping her, would he have put them in prison? Were they okay?

“I’m sure they’ve heard I’m alive by now, but I don’t even… How did I not think… Are they okay?” Lily was now in a full panic now. She sat up, reaching for her coat on her small nightstand. “I need to check on them.”

James gently pushed her back down against her pillows. “I had a group go check on them right away. Riddle threw them in prison for a few days, but they were treated decently and they’re fine.”

Lily’s eyes widened even more. “How - how did I just completely forget about them? We should have brought them into the Order - who knows what Riddle could have done to them.”

James was quiet, and Lily was astounded that he had remembered her own _family_ before her. “Why aren’t you close with them?”

“I… it’s not really that complicated. My mother loved me, but after my father died, Petunia… was set on marrying rich and fitting in, and she couldn’t understand why I didn’t want that. My mother didn’t want any trouble, and with Petunia’s encouragement, she kicked me out when I joined the Order.” Lily shrugged. “I used to stop by and visit, but Petunia convinced my mother that I was a death eater, or something like that, so I stopped going after a while.”

“What did they think when we got married?”

Lily shrugged. “Not sure. The only time I talked to them was when I was with you. Honestly, I doubt they would have accepted the Order’s help anyway.”

James blew out his breath. “Evans, I’m sorry - I had no idea it was like that between you and them.”

“I should have thought about them a lot sooner. Petunia is… difficult, but my mother… she’s my mother still, you know? I don’t know why I didn’t think about them.”

“Don’t guilt yourself, Evans. Sometimes family isn’t really family anymore, and you just stop thinking about them. Riddle left them alone, they’re safe, and that’s all that matters.”

Lily met his eyes, giving him a soft smile. “Thank you for taking care of them, too.” James smiled back softly, his usual arrogance gone. They were quiet for a second, and Lily glanced at the clock. “You’re going to be late for your meeting.” 

James glanced up, then stood up quickly, one hand in his hair. “You gonna be alright here?”

Lily nodded gratefully. “Yeah, I’m good. I’ll see you later?”

James was already walking backwards towards the door. “Don’t miss me too much, Evans!” 

Lily laughed, watching him narrowly miss bumping into a nurse before he turned the corner and disappeared. She grabbed the book she had set aside, but when she tried to focus, she found her mind turning back to James. She was even more shocked then before. Not only had James remembered Alice, he had also remembered her own family, something that she had forgotten completely about. A pit of guilt rose in her stomach, but more than anything, she was grateful for James. She clearly was learning new things about him everyday, and it amazed her that she was just learning it now. 

When Lily was finally discharged from the hospital a week and two days after arriving, she immediately went to work, despite the doctor’s pleas to take it easy. Emmeline had stayed at the palace as Lily’s personal aide, helping her get around and run back and forth between her office and the other’s. James and Sirius were working on tracking down death eater members who had gone into hiding and arresting known affiliates with Riddle. Remus was working with an army of lawyers nonstop to get them prosecuted and sent to jail, which left Lily the job of running everything else. 

She was hunched over a letter in the bedroom from an angry former council member demanding that elections were ‘unlawful’, when James burst in, holding a stack of folders and rolled up maps. He stopped in his tracks when he saw Lily. “You’re back!”

Lily grinned tiredly, pushing back a stray strand of hair from her eyes. “Lord Griffin wants to tell us that he will no longer pay taxes if he is no longer a part of the council.”

James snorted, setting his armful down on his desk. “Great. We’ll just throw him in jail then for tax evasion.” He glanced at his watch. “It’s past midnight. You’re supposed to take it easy.”

Lily spread her arms wide. “Someone has to run this country.”

He seemed to sense that there was no arguing with her. He sat down at his desk, loosening his tie and throwing his legs up. “Did Sirius tell you about Lord Dashwood?”

Lily shook her head, yawning. James continued. “We found Lord Dashwood and his wife today hiding in an abandoned barn. We think they were trying to pretend to be farmers, but someone turned them in when they brought an entire entourage with them.”

“Isn’t that the -”

“ - Lady who told you that we needed to start popping out babies, yeah it is.”

Lily grinned, shaking her head. She braced her arms on her chair and stood up, wobbling slightly as she regained her balance. James shot out of his chair, one hand ready to catch her. She huffed, waving him away. “You really are supposed to be taking it easy. Doctor said you were under strict orders, didn’t she?” 

She walked towards the closet, trying to show she was pain free and completely capable of returning to work. But she doubted it was working, and unfortunately, James knew her well enough by now to see right through her. 

“Evans!” Lily turned around, hands on her hips. One well pointed glare later, he threw his hands in the air and sat back down. “Alright, alright, I’ll leave you alone.” She gave him a self satisfied smirk, and continued to the closet. 

She emerged a few minutes later, slightly red in the face. She’d been struggling for the better part of three minutes with the back of her dress, unable to reach the zipper without causing searing pain across her stomach. Normally, Emmeline would have helped her, but Lily had sent her home long ago to catch up on sleep, which gave her no other option but to ask her husband, who was now bent over paperwork on his desk, oblivious to her struggle. “James?”

“Hm?” He didn’t even look up. She cleared her throat and he finally looked up. “Can you unzip me? I can’t reach.”

He stared at her for a second, confused, until she turned around. Lily felt her face grow even redder as she heard his footsteps approach, and her mind flashed back to their moment in the wagon once again. He stayed quiet, his usual teasing remarks noticeably absent. His fingers brushed the skin of her neck as he grabbed the zipper, but he undid it quickly and turned back around. 

Luckily, Lily was able to finish getting changed herself, and made a mental note to ask Emmeline to help her tomorrow before she left. When she emerged from the closet, James was in the bathroom, and so she crawled quietly into bed. She assumed that they’d moved past the bed and couch nightly tradeoff, and even if they hadn’t, she decided that after over a week of stiff hospital beds, it was her turn for the bed. 

She’d nearly fallen asleep when James padded quietly into the room. He moved to his side of the bed, grabbing a pillow and an extra blanket, and making his way towards the couch. 

“What are you doing?” Lily said, yawning. 

“Sleeping.”

Lily frowned and shut her eyes. “Get in bed. It’s bigger than the one in that office, we’ll be fine.” He didn’t move. After a moment, Lily opened her eyes to see him just standing there, watching her closely. “James, just get in bed.”

He chuckled, picking his pillow back up and making his way back over. Lily rolled away from him, drawing the covers to her chest. He slid in quietly next to her, his movement causing cold air to sweep through the sheets. Lily shivered slightly, and next to her, James whispered “Night, Lily.”

She smiled quietly to herself. She had mostly gotten used to sleeping next to him during their week at the Order’s headquarters, and she had missed it while she had been in the hospital. Tonight, she was just a little less nervous about her dreams. “Good night, James.”

The next week was even busier. The hunt for death eaters had somewhat slowed down as the remaining members still in England were tracked down and arrested. Those that had somehow escaped England were going to be much harder to track, and would probably take months. James had let Sirius take over that task, which meant he could return to his normal duties and help Lily. Together, they turned their attention to working out the details of the election. 

Lily had just come from what she considered a pointless meeting with Lord Everett, talking rapidly with Emmeline as she burst into James’ office. 

James was standing in the middle of the room with his arms folded, staring at the wall. When Lily burst in, he jerked and walked quickly back to his desk. Lily slowed down, sensing she had just interrupted something. She knew him well enough now to know something was clearly on his mind. 

“Hey Em, could you grab us some lunch?” Lily asked, moving to the couch across from James’ desk. She glanced up at where James had been staring. It was a portrait of his mother and father, sitting next to each other, smiling down at the room. Although she’d been in this room hundreds of times, she’d never taken time to take a close look at the portrait. She could see his jawline in his father, and he had his mother’s bright smile. 

Emmeline nodded, and left the room, closing the door behind her. 

“How’d the meeting go?” James asked, picking up a paper from his messy desk.

“Lord Everett is an idiot. Wants us to toss the police initiative in the trash.” Lily could tell James wasn’t listening. He nodded absentmindedly, now staring down at his hands. She watched him for a minute out of the corner of her eye, pretending to be reading a paper from her lap. When his eyes drifted back to the portrait, she shifted in her seat. “I’m sorry about your father.”

“What?” James asked, still not listening. Then the words processed and his head snapped up. “Oh. Yeah.”

“I’m sorry you had to find out that way.”

His shoulders slumped. “I should have guessed it.”

“How could you have known?”

He shrugged. “I should have guessed it. I knew he had enemies, and he got sick without warning. It went on for weeks, and the doctors had no clue what it was.”

“It’s not your fault.”

“That’s what Remus and Sirius keep telling me.” He shoved a hand through his hair. “I never talked about it before, but now… it helps to talk to them about it.”

Lily bit her lip. “I’m sorry I wasn’t more comforting when I first met you. I assumed he wasn’t a great guy, but I… you turned out alright, so he must have been a great father.”

He fiddled with the tie around his neck. “He was pretty great.”

“If you ever need someone else to talk to… just let me know, okay?” Lily wanted to stand up and hug him, but that would be crossing into new territory and she wasn’t sure if either of them wanted that, so she stayed seated. He nodded once, but didn’t say anything, eyes shifting back to his desk.

Emmeline knocked on the door, bringing in a plate of sandwiches. “Lily, Remus needs you in his office. He wants you to look over a list of names.”

Lily sent one last look at James, who was now pretending to be engrossed in his work, grabbed a sandwich, and followed Emmeline out the door. James obviously wasn’t comfortable talking about it yet with her, but she was glad that Sirius and Remus were there for him. 

A few days later, Lily was on the balcony in the bedroom, taking advantage of the warm sun while she was reading over a paper. But it was too nice of a day to concentrate on reading, and she had taken a break to lean over the edge and watch the quiet work of the gardners down below.

James burst in a few minutes later, and when he saw her outside, he stopped right in front of her, shoving his hands deep in his pockets. He didn’t say anything, just stood in front of her, watching her carefully. He looked bothered, with his hair more ruffled than usual. “Uh,” Lily said, confused. “Can I help you?”

“Are you planning to stay?”

“What?”

He shoved a hand through his hair. “Are you planning on staying here, in the palace? Or are you going back to the Order?”

“What?” Lily said again, still not understanding. “The Order disbanded. We’re finishing off death eaters, so they aren’t needed again.”

“No, I mean, uh… do you want a divorce?”

That was not what she had been expecting. She hadn’t even thought about it in the last few weeks, compared to her almost hourly thoughts of it a month ago. “James, what are you talking about? Do you want a divorce?”

“No! I just - I’ve been meaning to ask you since Riddle took over. I know we said this was only going to last a few years, but I know that you never wanted this, and with everything that happened, I wasn’t sure if you were going to stay.” Lily’s eyebrows raised. She hadn’t even considered a divorce anytime soon, but judging from the way James was acting, this had clearly been weighing heavily on his mind. “Do you want to stay?”

Lily turned away, looking out into the gardens. James joined her, leaning his arms back against the railing and turning to face her. She considered his question, biting her lip. As much as she had hated marrying James and how isolated she had felt afterwards, with everything that had happened, it seemed like right now, she was where she was supposed to be. “I think… I want to help our country in whatever way possible. At the moment, I don’t think the country has a lot of faith in the government. We just had a coup where we got kicked out of the palace, and then a violent clash with Riddle, and now, over half of the old council members are being tried for treason.”

“They don’t have faith in the government, but they have faith in you,” James said quietly.

Lily shook her head. “Not me, _us_. If… If we divorce right now, I think it will fracture the country further. There will be even more distrust, and you could have another coup on your hands.” James nodded, understanding what she was saying. Lily bit her lip. “So… we wait a few years until we get a divorce?”

James smirked, turning around and leaning his elbows on the railing so that his back was facing the garden. “Guess you’re stuck with me a while longer.” Lily tipped her head back and laughed, brushing arms accidentally with James as she did so. The soft touch suddenly reminded of their kiss once again, and her laugh slowly died off. She tilted her head back up, her eyes finding James, and somehow, someway, she could tell he was thinking about the same thing she was. 

They still hadn’t brought up their kiss in the wagon, but that hadn’t stopped her from thinking about it. A lot. She had decided that she wouldn’t bring it up if he didn’t because it had been an emotionally charged moment, and neither of them had been thinking straight. They weren’t supposed to be married for love, and they had literally just talked about their eventual divorce. Lily wasn’t even sure what her feelings were, but she was smart enough to realize that if she got rejected, she was still stuck with him for at least a few years and every day would be horrifyingly awkward. 

She looked away, casting her eyes up towards the blue sky and the wispy clouds. She couldn’t bring herself to look up at him, not sure what would happen if she did. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw James look down at his hands, and Lily felt some of the tension between them slip away. 

Pushing off the balcony railing, she smiled slightly, and moved back into the bedroom. “Have you talked to Remus yet today? Sirius said that he and Emmeline want to throw a ball.” 

James snorted. “I kind of doubt Remus would want to do that. Sirius is probably just pulling your leg again.”

Lily grinned. “Oh, I know. I want to throw one too.”

“You do? Doesn’t that go against all your causes? Social justice and taxpayer’s dime and all that?”

Her eyebrows raised. He wasn’t wrong, but the ball had a purpose. “I want to recognize everyone that helped take out Riddle. A lot of citizens in that square helped, and they were in a lot of danger.”

James nodded slowly, folding his arms. “We have a ceremony recognizing the heroes, and maybe a festival? Like a fresh start?”

“I think the fresh start will come with the elections. I’m not sure if we can get that process up and running soon enough, but it could be a kickoff event of some sort,” Lily murmured, moving back into the bedroom to search for a piece of paper to start jotting down ideas before she lost them. James followed, hands in his pockets and deep in thought. 

And just like that, they dove back into their work. 

Over the next few weeks, Lily found it harder than usual to work with James. Previously, working together was full of arguing and shouting matches. But after escaping the palace and the guards, working so closely at the Order’s headquarters, spending the night in prison, and surviving the final fight together, they seemed to have put that behind them. Now, they worked much more closely together, consulting each other more often on projects, and just generally spending more time in the office together. 

On top of that, at night, Lily was having frequent nightmares. She suspected James did too because he was often awake late into the night. On one particular night, Lily had cried out, waking herself and James up. She shot into a position, gasping for air. James had wrapped an arm around her in a second, pulling her into his shoulder. It had taken her a long time to calm down, but he stayed still, holding her shaking body as she cried it out. She finally had fallen asleep in his arms, and managed to sleep the rest of the night. 

Although their working relationship was much easier, Lily had a hard time keeping her mind on her work. She often caught herself watching him when she thought no one was looking, although Emmeline seemed to have noticed more than a few times. 

All in all, Lily was pretty sure that she had genuine feelings for him now, and with no indication from him that he felt the same way, she was having a hard time being around him so often. 

The ceremony was inspiring. James had given a touching speech, focusing on honoring those that had died, and those that had risked everything to help get rid of Riddle. Lily had awarded the medals, and afterward, invited everyone in attendance into the ballroom for a celebration.

Although she was mostly recovered, Lily didn’t want to push herself too hard dancing. She danced once with Sirius and once with Remus, but mostly hung around the tables at the back, talking to the newly elected council members. They all expressed their appreciation for the ceremony before, and Lily was glad that it had been well received. She was quickly losing track of names, but she was already more than happy with who would be joining them on the council. The diversity of opinions and backgrounds made it so much easier to make conversation, and Lily felt much less like an outsider than she did with the previous set of council members. 

The night was growing late, but the party was in full swing. Feeling sweaty from the crowded room, LIly excused herself from her conversation and headed toward the gardens, grabbing a blackberry pastry on her way. 

She had just stepped into the cool air, when a hand grazed her lower back and someone snagged the pastry from her hand. She whipped around, not at all surprised to see James taking a large bite. He handed it back to her, mouth stuffed and started walking further away from the doorway. 

“Where are you going?”

Mouth still full, he swung around, hands in his pockets, and shrugged, walking backwards. Lily felt herself blush slightly at his gaze, but rolled her eyes, took a bite, and followed him. 

They were quiet for a few minutes, trading the pastry back and forth until it was all finished. When Lily had licked the last of the blackberry filling from her fingers, James cleared his throat, glancing back at the doorway. A few guests were out in the gardens with them, but no one was within eavesdropping range, and in a few minutes, they would be out of sight. 

“I’d say we throw one hell of a party.”

Lily looked up at the night sky, thinking back on the past few hours. “Your speech was beautiful.” James ducked his head, shrugging. Lily raised her eyebrows. “Is that a touch of humility I see?”

He smirked, and Lily had to pull her eyes away from the movement. “I think I did extremely well, thank you very much.”

Lily swatted his shoulder. “I should have known.”

He laughed next to her, but didn’t say anything else. Lily glanced down at his hand swinging by his side, and almost moved to grab it, but he shoved his hands in his pockets, and she caught herself just in time. 

They walked in silence for a few minutes, listening to the music growing fainter in the distance and feeling the cool breeze sweep between them. When they came to the edge of the garden walkway, James paused, tilting his head back to look at the sky. Lily joined him, letting her arm brush his momentarily. 

The two of them stood next to each other, watching the wispy clouds move across the twinkling stars. Lily got wrapped up in her thoughts, and didn’t notice that James wasn’t watching the sky, and instead, was now watching her. When she finally pulled herself out of her thoughts, she felt his eyes on her. She bit her lip again, debating whether or not to turn towards him. Nervousness suddenly filled her, and she could feel her heart pounding her chest. Slowly, she turned her head to meet his gaze. He was just watching her, waiting for her to do something. Her lips parted slightly, and her eyes flickered down to his lips. 

And that was enough for James to lean forward, one hand sliding to cup her face. Lily breathed a sigh of relief as their lips met. It was soft and delicate, each moving carefully. They pulled apart after a few seconds, staring at each other, breathing heavily. 

And without a second thought, Lily moved a hand to his neck, pulling him back in a greedier, desperate kiss. He responded in kind, one hand moving to her waist, gripping her hips and pulling her closer to him.

They continued kissing, Lily moving both of her arms to wrap around his neck, pulling him down to her as her fingers played with his hair. She let out a soft moan as his teeth grazed her bottom lip, and she could feel him smile against her lips.

Lily broke away after a minute, resting her forehead on his, gasping for air. “You’d have thought that for a married couple, we would have done this a _long_ time ago.” 

James grinned. “We’re both too stubborn to do things the normal way. There had to be a minor rebellion and a few injuries before anything could happen, right?” He caught her lips again, this time a slow, lingering kiss. “Lily, I…”

“- think you’re the fittest wife you’ve ever had?” Lily finished, tracing her hands along his toned chest, and tilting her head back to wink at James. James just shook his head, and pressed a kiss on the hollow of her throat, and she groaned contentedly. She moved her hand back to his face, pulling him up so that she could look up at him properly. “People are going to wonder where we are.”

James tilted his head back, hands still gripping her hips, laughing. “I finally kiss my wife, and you say we have to go back?”

Lily began stepping backwards, grabbing both of his hands so that they were facing each other as they walked. “Someone will see us out here.”

James tugged her towards him again, pulling her into another deep kiss. “And?”

Lily laughed again, placing a gentle hand on his chest. “We can continue this later.”

And that was enough to convince James, but not after he dropped another kiss to her shoulder. Hand in hand, they walked back into the ballroom, doing their best to ignore the other’s teasing touches, each trying to maintain secrecy, while at the same time, make the other blush. 

Sirius had approached once, eyes darting back and forth between them, trying to figure out why they were now willingly holding hands. Remus pulled him away before he got a word in, and Lily was grateful. She didn’t even know how to explain it yet, and was more than content to just see where it went. 

As the guests finally began to head out, Lily pulled away from James long enough to say goodbye to Alice and Emmeline. They chatted for a minute, and if asked later, Lily would have no idea what they talked about. James, who had got pulled into another conversation, kept flicking his eyes towards her, and Lily had a hard time pulling her eyes away. He excused himself a few minutes later, and came to stand next to her, joking with Emmeline and Alice as he approached. Lily didn’t miss the fact that his hand had settled on her back, fingers gently playing with her laces. Her friends hugged her goodbye, and her fingers slipped into James’ again. She waved goodbye with her free hand. Emmeline winked at her, and Alice didn’t even try to hide her wide smirk. 

Lily’s face was already flushed from James’ dancing fingers, but Emmeline’s wink made it even worse. James dipped down next to her, his voice low and quiet. “You ready to head out?” Lily glanced out over the ballroom, but almost all of the guests were gone now, and the staff was working on the cleanup. She debated for about half a second if she should help, but James’ fingers had drifted even lower on her back, and she decided that she could take the night off. 

They walked hand in hand down the hall. Lily felt her heart beating out of her chest, and was struggling to keep the hand that was holding James’ steady. Next to her, he looked like the picture of calm, one hand tucked causally in his pocket, looking down quietly at his feet. 

At least for a second he looked calm, but when he caught Lily glancing at him, he didn’t hesitate to turn on his heel and push her into the wall, catching her lips in a rough kiss. A soft sighed escaped her as her back hit the wall, and she lifted her arms to fist both her hands in his hair.

Lily completely forgot where they were standing until she broke away for a second, and saw a servant hurry to hide behind a curtain. She giggled, leaning her head forward on James’ chest. “Guess everyone will know now.”

James grinned, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her into his warmth. Lily slipped out from under him before he could pull her back in and grabbed his hand. James tried to stop her once more, but Lily was now on a mission and only let herself get distracted for a minute. 

When they finally, _finally_ reached their bedroom, Lily had barely closed the door behind her before James had captured her lips again, this time making progress on the laces he had been teasing her with all night. But he was moving slowly, teasing her as each exposed bit of skin grew goosebumps in the air. Lily finally huffed and pulled away to undo them herself, and James’ eyes grew dark as her dress dropped to the floor. 

He pressed a kiss to her forehead, hands gripping her stomach. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

LIly captured his lips again, taking a step back towards the bed. “Mm, absolutely.” He grinned against her lips, walking forwards until her knees hit the edge of the bed, and she sat down.

“Good, because, Evans - I mean, I’d wait, obviously, but -” he leaned over her, and she laid back on the bed, using one hand to undo his belt. “- you’re bloody amazing and it’s been torture the past few weeks.”

Lily pulled him down to her, smiling as his warm weight pushed her against the mattress. “About time, isn’t it?”

“Mm. About bloody time.”

When neither James or Lily showed at breakfast the next morning, Sirius was put in charge of tracking them down. Per usual, instead of knocking, he burst through the door, and expected to find them separated on the couch and bed. Instead he found them fast asleep, tucked under the sheets, with James’ arm wrapped around Lily’s waist. At any other time, he might have woken them up, perhaps even jumping on the bed to embarrass them. But, this time, he shook his head, muttered a quick _thank you_ to the heavens, and shut the door. If anyone deserved rest, he decided, it was James and Lily Potter. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and that's a wrap! thank you SO MUCH for all your kudos and kind comments :)


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